“Just too weird” - Netizens slam the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony
The Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony took place on Sunday, marking the end of this year’s edition of the quadrennial tournament. Featuring almost 10,500 athletes from more than two hundred nations worldwide, Paris 2024 was as grand as any previous edition of the Olympic Games.
However, the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony attracted criticism from several fans online due to its archaic references to mythological figures and the relatively long runtime.
Similar to the criticism leveled during the opening ceremony, fans took to social media to voice their concerns at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, with one fan writing:
“the closing ceremony is just too weird. it doesn't feel like the olympics. the olympics is supposed to bright, sincere and simple. this weird constumed sparkly stuff with the spooky music in the background. yuck.”
Another fan called out the slow pace of the closing ceremony, which featured several long rituals involving the transfer of flags between Greek and French mythological characters. The fan wrote:
“Much like the opening ceremony, this Paris 2024 closing ceremony is pants. Sorry, but it's true. Super weird, but the biggest issue is that it is sooo slow paced. ....and, not a patch on London 2012.”
The comparison to the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, which featured iconic visuals such as the London black cab, continued, with one fan posting:
“London 2012 really nailed having all the artists in moving vehicles didn’t they? They could keep everything going without having boring VTs play while they cleared stages.”
“Closing ceremony is just as weird as the opening,” another post read.
“Anyone else think the Olympics closing ceremony is just kind of weird,” one fan posted on X.
One fan, however, said what many viewers were thinking about the extravagant ceremony, writing:
“How much did that cost I wonder.”
Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony sees Tom Cruise drop from the sky to hand the Olympic flag to LA Mayor
True to its ethos, the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony has been an unapologetic celebration of French culture through a spectacular visual orchestra and music.
The iconic Stade de France, the host country’s national stadium, featured well-known musicians such as DJ Kavinsky, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, and Cambodian rapper Vannda.
The ceremony also featured a mythical figure called the ‘Golden Voyager’ descending from the skies. The hooded person unfurled the flag of Greece, honoring the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
The crowd then saw the arrival of superstar Tom Cruise, who dropped into the Stade de France from the top, leading to a huge uproar among the crowd.
Despite the criticism aimed towards the insular cultural references and the slower pace of the Paris 2024 Olympics ceremony, the Stade de France was completely packed throughout the event, including President Emmanuel Macron and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in attendance.
The ceremony also featured the Olympic flag being handed over to the mayor of Los Angeles – the host city of the 2028 Olympic Games. LA mayor Karen Bass received the Olympic flag from her Parisian counterpart Anne Hidalgo, which marked the first time the Olympic flag exchange occurred between two women.
The Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony also featured performances from artists such as Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre, as well as pop star Billie Eilish, marking a grand end to this year’s Summer Olympic Games.