The stars of the Olympic Games were at the centre of the Stade de France. Thirty-two Olympic records, ten world records, three hundred and twenty-nine gold medals to be won. They were not just any medals, they had a piece of the Eiffel Tower, which was now hanging from their necks and they paraded with them at the closing ceremony.
But one medal was missing to complete all the podiums. The Dutch Olympic women’s marathon champion Sifan Hassan received her gold medal in front of 71,500 spectators, the award ceremony with the largest audience. A smile framed her gold medal after winning the 42.195 kilometers, after the bronze medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. The smile of being number one.
The heart of France beat for 17 days at the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, the Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais, Les Invalides and Trocadero and the River Seine. These were the Games of the people, and they took on greater value because the previous ones were held in the spotlight by the absence of the public.
The Stade de France was transformed into a treat. A tribute to the creation of the Olympic Games since 1896. The rings of the Olympic Games came to life and flew over the middle of the mythical stadium and above 205 delegations and 9 thousand athletes and staff as witnesses.
From Paris to Los Angeles 2028. Famous faces and a trip to the most emblematic places in Los Angeles, Angelenos are ready to welcome an Olympic event after 1984.
Tom Cruise made a star appearance, free-falling from the Stade de France structures and in a pre-recorded video carrying the Olympic flag to Hollywood, the famous sign dressed in the Olympic Rings, the Memorial Coliseum and its Californian beaches, where Southern California music icon Snoop Dogg sang a vibrant song. Yseult performed a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way,” a melody that unites France and the United States.
Paris will be remembered as the post-pandemic Games of the people. They will be the Games of Simone Biles’ comeback, the Games of Duplantis’ record, the Games of equality, the Games of reverence for Brazilian superstar Rebeca Andrade. The Games of Rafael Nadal’s farewell, the Olympic gold of Novak Djokovic.
The Olympic flame entered the Tuileries Gardens in a lantern that was blown out by a group of athletes. No wind can extinguish the light of Paris, not even the strongest wind.
Now, the countdown begins for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which will begin in 1,433 days, starting this Sunday, August 11.
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