Tom Cruise's Surprise Appearance at Closing Ceremony...Completes Olympic Rings Handover Mission [Paris Olympics]

The most eye-catching figure at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics was Tom Cruise, the protagonist of the movie series 'Mission: Impossible.' Representing Hollywood, Cruise appeared at the ceremony to perform the task of handing over the Olympic flag to Los Angeles (LA), USA, the host city for the 2028 Olympics.

Cruise appeared as if in a scene from a movie. From one corner of the roof of Stade de France in Paris, where the closing ceremony was held, Cruise appeared at the highest point and then plunged into the middle of the stadium.

American actor Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance on the 11th (local time) at the Stade de France in Paris, France, during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, jumping into the midst of the athletes.
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

American actor Tom Cruise is seen waving the Olympic rings flag after receiving it at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Stade de France in Paris on the 11th (local time).
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Diving into the midst of the athletes gathered at Stade de France, Cruise high-fived the athletes and sometimes took photos with his phone, mingling with them. He then ran across the athletes and jumped onto the podium. After receiving the Olympic flag on the podium, Cruise descended and rode a pre-prepared motorcycle out of Stade de France. A video followed showing Cruise speeding through Paris with the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower in the background. He then boarded a plane while still on the motorcycle. The plane carrying Cruise crossed the Atlantic Ocean and headed to LA, where Cruise jumped out again over LA’s skies. After landing, Cruise handed the Olympic flag to Kate Courtney, the USA’s MTB national team member. Courtney rode her MTB into the LA Memorial Coliseum, the main stadium of the 1984 LA Olympics, where Michael Johnson, the legendary American track and field athlete and four-time Olympic champion, received the flag. Johnson exited the Coliseum and ran through the streets of LA holding the Olympic flag with the citizens, eventually reaching the California beach. At the beach, American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg performed lively stages.

Earlier, the performance titled 'Return of the Golden Voyager,' depicting the journey of future humanity searching for traces of the modern Olympics, also drew attention.

Lasting about 27 minutes, this performance portrayed the journey of the 'Golden Voyager' seeking the origins of the modern Olympics, which prays for peace, set in a future where the Olympics no longer exist.

The Golden Voyager appeared in a shining golden costume above the darkened Stade de France. After descending to Stade de France, the Golden Voyager searched for traces of the Olympics and eventually discovered the statue of the 'Nike of Samothrace.' The Nike of Samothrace is an ancient Greek sculpture displayed at the Louvre Museum, depicting Nike, the goddess of victory in Greek mythology. Then, pianist Alain Roche played a piano suspended vertically in the air, and tenor Benjamin Bernheim sang an ancient Greek hymn to Apollo. Numerous explorers followed the Golden Voyager, descending from above and discovering a circular structure symbolizing the Olympic rings. This circular structure rose into the sky, forming the Olympic rings. Following this, lively performances by the French rock band Phoenix and singer Ang?le took place.

On the 11th (local time), during the 'Return of the Golden Voyager' performance at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Stade de France in Paris, France, the Golden Voyager (right) is looking at the statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency

It was also notable that female athletes received medals during the marathon award ceremony, traditionally held at the Olympic closing ceremony.

The marathon, known as the 'flower of the Olympics,' usually holds its medal ceremony at the closing ceremony. This tradition, which began with the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896, had been exclusively for male marathon medalists until the 2020 Tokyo Games, when men’s and women’s awards were presented jointly. This time, only female marathon medalists were awarded, excluding male athletes entirely.

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), personally awarded the medals to gold medalist Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), silver medalist Tigist Assefa (Ethiopia), and bronze medalist Helen Obiri (Kenya).