The Olympic Games, marked among other things by an unprecedented ceremony in the city, then the Paralympics, the first ever organized on French soil, were overall a success during this summer “where people talked to each other, this summer where France was happy”, Estanguet continued.
Parisian historic sites, from the Grand Palais to the temporary stadium at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, passing by the Esplanade des Invalides or the Place de la Concorde, have often left as much of an impression as the sporting events for which around 12.1 million tickets were sold, Olympics and Paralympics combined. The previous record was 11 million, the organizers claimed. In Paris, 2.5 million were sold for the Paralympics, a little less than in London in 2012.
The Paralympic flag was handed over to Los Angeles, which will host the next Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, in the presence of the mayors of the two cities, Anne Hidalgo of France and Karen Bass of California.
In the evening – which began with a symphonic version of “Vivre pour le meilleur”, a Johnny Hallyday standard, performed by the singer Santa – the Olympic and then Paralympic cauldron was definitively extinguished. This illuminated ball, installed in the Tuileries Gardens, in the heart of the French capital, will remain as one of the most striking symbols of these Games.
Weather conditions led to the cancellation of its last flight on Sunday evening. But, despite the rain, the Stade de France was transformed into a giant dance floor during the evening, for an hour of musical entertainment, around the theme “Paris is a party”.
No fewer than 24 big names in electro music, from Jean-Michel Jarre to Kungs and Kavinsky, who embody the internationally renowned electro “French Touch”, performed at the Stade de France, where some 4,400 para-athletes were present one last time.
Among them, the Chinese delegation finished first in this edition, for the sixth consecutive time, with 94 titles (220 medals), ahead of Great Britain (49 gold) and the United States (36 gold).
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