Key events
Preamble
James Wallace
C’est fini. Well almost.
Can you believe it was only two weeks ago that Paris 2024 got under way? So much SPORT has happened since that it feels like a lifetime ago that the eyes of the sporting world were trained on a somewhat mizzly and murky Seine and the athlete flotillas.
Céline Dion’s performance of Edith Piaf’s Hymne a l’amour saved what had been something of a haphazard opening ceremony and set the tone for the triumph of the fortnight to follow. It’s been a belter hasn’t it?
We’ll have plenty of time to discuss the thrills, spills, highs, lows and favourite moments over the course of the next few hours. Please do get in touch at the details on the left of the page to have you say on all that has happened and also to comment on whatever the closing ceremony has in store. I can’t do this alone believe me.
Will the Olympic baton pass from Paris to LA go smoothly or is there a spillage or two in the pipes? It seems likely that Tom Cruise will abseil from the top of the Stade de France stadium roof and Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, H.E.R are slated to perform. As is, of course, Paris 2024’s superfan extraordinaire Snoop Dogg. Let’s hope it’s not Snoop in control of the metaphorical baton pass, he’s been known to drop it … oh I can’t even.
French musical royalty Air and Phoenix will also provide musical accompaniment to what Artistic director Thomas Jolly has promised to be a “science-fiction dream-like immersive journey through time”. You didn’t hear it here first.
All that and plenty more besides to come over the next few hours – the official start time of the closing ceremony is 8pm BST and it is due to finish at 10.30pm BST. I’ll be here for the duration. Let’s the Games begin close!
