PARIS — It’s time to say au revoir to the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have officially drawn to a close, capping off 19 days of eye-popping spectacle, jaw-dropping athletic triumphs and ear-splitting cheers from spectators across the French capital and around the world.
The Paris Games culminated in a spectacular closing ceremony. More than 10,000 athletes paraded through the Stade de France north of Paris. Olympic gold medalists Katie Ledecky and Nick Mead proudly represented Team USA as flag bearers.
The indie group Phoenix and the R&B singer H.E.R. rocked out for the crowds. Tom Cruise, symbolizing the handover to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, rappelled down into the stadium, accepted the Olympic flag and sped away on a motorcycle.
The lavish ceremony provided a fitting end to more than two weeks of competition boasting extraordinary feats of strength and resilience — particularly for Team USA, which collected a staggering 125 medals, including 40 golds.
Simone Biles, Suni Lee and the rest of the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad dazzled on their “redemption tour,” expertly executing gravity-defying routines. Ledecky lapped up four medals, becoming the most decorated American woman in Olympic history.
The stars of track and field dashed to greatness. Sha’Carri Richardson led the U.S. women to Olympic relay gold. Noah Lyles took on a new title after winning the men’s 100-meter: fastest man in the world. Gabby Thomas conquered the women’s 200-meter. Cole Hocker, a 21-to-1 long shot, pulled a shocker in the men’s 1,500.
Team USA scored first-ever gold medals in women’s fencing and women’s cycling pursuit events. American men’s and women’s basketball titans — including NBA superstar Steph Curry — cemented their towering legacies, as did the women’s soccer players.
France’s own Léon Marchand dominated in swimming events, earning four gold medals and drawing comparisons to Olympic icon Michael Phelps. Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, who competed for Sweden, shattered pole-vaulting records with a jump of 6.25 meters.
The commanding performances and stunning victories helped turn this year’s Games into a worldwide cultural phenomenon, satisfying a hunger for escapism and collective enthusiasm after the grim pandemic years.
The viewership numbers were robust and the internet was flooded with memes. X and other social media platforms lit up with images of “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik of the U.S. men’s gymnastics team and too-cool-for-school Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikeç.
Snoop Dogg, enlisted by NBC to serve as a special correspondent, proved to be a fixture of the Games, whether joining the torch relay during the opening ceremony or taking a swimming lesson with Phelps. (“Mike, you make this look too easy,” Snoop joked.)
Buzzworthy moments caught fire online: Céline Dion’s stirring performance of a classic Édith Piaf ballad during the opening ceremony; viral marriage proposals; athletes testing out the cardboard beds inside the Olympic Village; Biles’ post-competition subtweet of former President Donald Trump: “I love my black job.”
But the cultural joy also carried symbolic weight for a weary and war-scarred world.
In many respects, Paris 2024 represented an exuberant rebound from the scaled-back “Covid bubble” Games in Tokyo in 2021 and Beijing in 2022. TV viewers and in-person spectators were reminded of the value of standing side by side.
“It has been one of the biggest global events we’ve had since Covid, so it’s definitely a celebration on that front,” Olympic visitor Arial Su, 32, a Taiwanese native who lives in London, told NBC News last week.
The Games likewise offered a respite from roiling political tensions in France and across the West, including a roller coaster presidential election in the U.S. and racist street violence in Britain. Parisians managed to unite, even if briefly.
“I am Parisian and because of all the criticism beforehand I had no idea it was going to be so cool,” said Fanny Bonjean, 35, a journalist soaking up the atmosphere at the La Concorde venue. “The reason it’s so cool is because, as French people, we can be very critical of each other, but right now everyone is so happy and we are so proud of ourselves.”
Of course, security fears and sociopolitical tensions shadowed the Games.
Terror attack worries loomed over the City of Light. The rail system was thrown into chaos after an arson attack on the day of the opening ceremony; IT systems were upended by a cyberattack in recent days. French police and other law enforcement agencies stood on high alert.
The Games also fed into culture war flashpoints in the U.S. and abroad, including a conservative Christian backlash to a drag performance during the opening ceremony and a furor over the gender identity and competition eligibility of two female boxers.
Meanwhile, the fluctuating levels of contamination in the Seine River caused headaches for Olympic organizers and French officials. The tourists, business travelers and journalists who flooded into Paris sometimes found the city difficult to traverse.
When the jubilation settles, France will be forced to confront political turmoil, including a divided Parliament and the continued ascent of the anti-immigrant far-right movement ahead of the next presidential election in 2027.
Hector Gore, 34, an engineer from Paris, said that “most people would like this part of the Games to continue, but I’m not so sure it will. Next week we go back to the way things were. It’s going to be quite … tense.”
Yet despite the backdrop of geopolitical tumult and social friction, the Games revived a spirit of optimism and pride for many viewers. Olympic organizers will work hard to make sure the positivity extends through the Paralympic Games, which start Aug. 28.
Then it will be time to look even further ahead — four years, to be exact, when Los Angeles kicks off the 2028 Summer Olympics. It will be the first time the U.S. has hosted the Games in more than a quarter-century, since the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002.
Daniel Arkin reported from New York City and Alexander Smith from Paris.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
