Hollywood star Tom Cruise rappelled from the roof of France’s national stadium and received the Olympic flag, bringing a heavy dose of Hollywood to the closing ceremony of the Paris Games as the French capital handed over to the next host Los Angeles.
Grammy-winning R&B artist H.E.R teased the Mission Impossible soundtrack as Tom Cruise made his leap, drawing gasps from spectators as he dropped 50 metres to the floor of the Stade de France, in the finale to a ceremony that blended the traditional, the obscure and the razzle dazzle of Tinseltown.
Having greeted Olympians in the audience, he shook hands with the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, before taking the Olympic flag from her.
Tom Cruise’s exit on a motorbike saw the closing ceremony transition to a prerecorded video of the 62-year-old skydiving down to the Hollywood sign, where a wide shot showed the Olympic rings incorporated into the LA landmark.
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The flag was then passed from U.S. Olympians past and present as it traversed the city before reaching a beach party, where the LA music icons the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performed.
The ceremony cut to pre-recorded footage of the action star gallivanting around the French capital, zooming past Parisian landmarks like the Eiffel Tower before arriving at an airport.
After boarding the aircraft, Tom Cruise could be seen skydiving out of the plane and later landing in America.
He was wearing his trademark leather jacket for the stunts.
