Tom Cruise took a leaf from the book of Queen Elizabeth II and brought parachutes to the Olympics.
In a scene that brought back memories of London 2012, the superstar actor helped close the 2024 Games by jumping from a plane.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe film star had collected the flag from Simon Biles in the Stade de France just moments after it had been passed from Paris to Los Angeles in a symbolic handover between the city that has just hosted the greatest show on earth and the one that will welcome it in 2028.
Cruise, who had been rumoured to have a big part in the closing ceremony, zip wired into the stadium just as Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, took possession of the flag from Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe then hopped on a motorbike and was then seen zooming past Paris landmarks including the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower before riding on to a plane which took off for LA. Within moments, he was in the sunshine of California but didn’t have time for a landing. Instead, bringing back all the memories of 2012, he strapped on a parachute and jumped.
It was an echo of the famous moment in the opening ceremony of London 2012 which saw Queen Elizabeth II welcome James Bond to Buckingham Palace before joining him in a helicopter from which they both ”jumped” to make a grand entrance into the spectacular show.
It’s been mission impossible since to match it but Tom Cruise gave it his best shot and provided another iconic image by passing on the flag beneath the famous Hollywood sign which he appeared to decorate with the Olympic rings.
The handover was completed by a performance from Snoop Dogg who had earlier appeared in a special video with the Prince and Princess of Wales to celebrate Team GB.
The closing ceremony in Paris was attended by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain and Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Paris has been filled with royals over the past two weeks for the Olympics. The next summer Games take place in Los Angeles in 2028.
