Portuguese Party to Say Goodbye to Paris

Yesterday, Paris bid farewell to the Olympic Games with a spectacle of light, colour and joy, with a cultural and sporting aspect. Farewell, City of Lights, and hello, Los Angeles 2028.

The closing ceremony began with a parade of all the delegations present, harmoniously and without the rigour of the opening ceremony. Under the motto of human unity, essentially the Olympic spirit, the ceremony transformed the Stade de France into a real concert hall.

More than 100 artists, including acrobats, dancers and circus performers, joined world-famous singers to make this an unforgettable farewell that also paid tribute to Pierre de Coubertin, the French baron who revived the Ancient Greek Games in 1894.

The most symbolic images and moments of these Games were projected onto the stadium, highlighting the world record holders. And if the moments of glory dominated, then the disappointments and falls that destroyed the athletes’ ambitions and goals were also highlighted.

There was no shortage of tears, both joyful and sad. Emotion.

At the closing ceremony, attended by 17 other athletes, Portugal delegated the status of flag bearers to medalists Yuri Leitan (gold and silver in track cycling) and Patricia Sampaio (bronze in judo).

Highlights included the notable absence of Pedro Pichardo (silver in the triple jump) and the presence of surfer Therese Bonvalot, who was in Paris for the first time as her race was held in French Polynesia.

The Stade de France was given the status of an Olympic stadium and honored the memory of 45 thousand volunteers.

The Olympic flame was eventually extinguished and the evidence was transferred to the next Games, which would return to Los Angeles, USA, four years later.