The Olympic Games in Paris end with a colorful closing ceremony. IOC President Thomas Bach described the 16 days in the French capital as a “great experience”.
Olympic champions Laura Lindemann and Max Rendschmidt proudly waved the German flag in the Stade de France, Emmanuel Macron and Thomas Bach applauded from the VIP box. The closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games began with the arrival of the nations; it was to be a unique evening with a spectacular show lasting a good three hours.
“The eyes of the world are on us. We are simply delighted,” said Rendschmidt shortly before the start of the celebration on ZDF. A number of his teammates also did not miss the opportunity. The German selection finished the Summer Games in tenth place in the national rankings with 33 medals, the lowest number of medals since reunification.
Nevertheless, the German athletes were in a party mood at the Stade de France. Lindemann said that it would be really cool overall, “a few stars will be there and it will be a cool show.”
“These Olympic Games have exceeded all expectations,” said IOC President Thomas Bach before the ceremony began. “A great experience, enriched with French culture and way of life. This spark has obviously spread to the population.” After the Summer Games in Tokyo and the Winter Games in Beijing, the Olympics in Paris were no longer under the influence of the corona pandemic.
According to Bach, the games were more inclusive and took place where the people were. “They are younger games and, above all, more sustainable games,” said the 70-year-old. The CO2 footprint should be reduced by over 50 percent compared to previous games, and 95 percent of the competition venues already existed or were only built temporarily.
Start at the Louvre
Paris said goodbye to the games with a show that lasted a good three hours. As with the spectacular opening ceremony on the Seine, Thomas Jolly was responsible for the final chord as artistic director. With over 250 artists, acrobats and dancers, the Stade de France was to be transformed into a theater. Rehearsals for the show lasted a full 35 days.
Over 71,000 spectators and 9,000 athletes and support staff from 205 delegations watched the evening in France’s national stadium. The opening ceremony began with a continuation of the opening ceremony. After the song “Sous le ciel de Paris”, swimming superstar Léon Marchand approached the Olympic flame in the Tuileries. The four-time Olympic champion from Paris carried the flame in a lantern towards the Louvre, and it was due to arrive at the Stade de France later that evening.
As part of the ceremony, the Olympic flag will also be handed over from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to her colleague Karen Bass from Los Angeles. The Californian metropolis will host the next Summer Games in 2028. “We will share a historic moment and send a message to girls all over the world that they can do anything,” said Bass about the first-ever handover of the flag from woman to woman.
Over 30,000 police officers on the move
Over 9.5 million tickets were sold for the games, over 60 percent of which went to sports fans from France. Almost a million people lined the course for the road cycling competitions, and 450,000 spectators visited the beach volleyball stadium, which is spectacularly located next to the Eiffel Tower.
Up to 11,804 athletes lived in the Olympic Village. Every day, 600 baguettes and 3,000 muffins were consumed, among other things. 150 hair and manicure appointments were made every day.
Special attention was also paid to security on the final weekend of the Olympics. 30,000 emergency personnel were deployed in the greater Paris area. 2,000 secured the closing ceremony.
Source: www.sport.de
