Actor Tom Cruise stole the show in the closing ceremony for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Tom Cruise was dramatically launched into the Stade de France to close the Paris Olympics and signify the handover from France to the Hollywood state
Olympics 2024: Tom Cruise leads star-studded handover at closing ceremony
By Jeremy Wilson
Daily Telegraph UK·
4 mins to read
Subscribe to listen
Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
The Olympic flag was passed between the mayors of Paris and Los Angeles, Anne Hidalgo and Karen Bass, before a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. The lights then turned red on the part of the stadium from which Cruise was waiting and, defying his 62 years, he abseiled down at speed with a landing that would have impressed even the watching Simone Biles.
Cruise then ran through the crowds of athletes, offering high fives, before mounting a motorbike with a huge Olympic flag on the back. Drawing somewhat on the idea of the iconic scene between James Bond and the Queen at the London opening ceremony, Cruise was then filmed riding past the Eiffel Tower, before getting in an aircraft bound for LA.
The Olympic rings were then added to the famous Hollywood sign and the flag was passed between legendary athletes, including the 200m and 400m Olympic champion Michael Johnson, via the Coliseum Stadium that will host the athletics events. And all this while the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg (a regular in Paris in recent days) performed from Long Beach in LA and were beamed into the Stade de France.
LA organisers are planning a “no car” Games that makes the most of existing venues such as the Coliseum, which was used in both 1932 and 1984 and will become the first stadium to host three Olympics.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Thank you, Paris! Now off to LA. pic.twitter.com/MxlAb0hZbT
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) August 11, 2024
How the Tom Cruise cameo unfolded
1. The wait
Cruise was pictured on the roof of the Stade de France an age before his descent into the stadium. At one point, it appeared as if Cruise was moving around as if to keep warm...
2. The not-so-smooth descent
Cruise finally appeared, slowly descending into the stadium. Cruise was tugging on a lever of some kind during the lower half of his arrival, but nothing happened. It is unclear what was intended at this point.
3. Running the athlete gauntlet
Cruise had to fight his way through a crowd of athletes to make it to the stage, but that was easier said than done with selfies, high-fives and even an unsolicited kiss all part of the journey.
4. Mission possible
Eventually, Cruise appeared on stage, jogging across it and collecting the Olympic flag and swiftly exiting with minimal interference. How disappointing that no bad guys emerged.
5. Motorbike out of nowhere
Having struggled to fight his way through the crowd on the way in, Cruise was armed with a motorbike to drive through it on the way out. Through he went, and the athletes were more respectful of the Hollywood star on two wheels than when he was on foot.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
6. Here comes the montage
Cruise’s stadium exit swiftly transitioned into a pre-recorded video of Cruise zooming around the streets of Paris all the way to an airplane that takes him across the Atlantic.
7. Touchdown in LA
A safe – and swift – journey ended with Cruise handing the flag over to a number of current and former US athletes, including the BBC’s Michael Johnson, as it went through the Hollywood Hills, via the Coliseum, before ending up on Venice Beach. The Hollywood sign cleverly transitioned into the Olympic symbol, with three circles appearing above the two o’s.
8. California loves to party
The transition ended with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre performing live from the beach, beamed into the Stade de France.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
