2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony: Expect iconic French acts Phoenix and Air, Tom Cruise stunt segment, rumoured Beyonce and Taylor Swift appearances

PETALING JAYA, Aug 9 — After a controversy-riddled opening, what can be expected of the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Celine Dion's comeback and Lady Gaga's performance may have grabbed headlines, but it's safe to say most of the opening ceremony performances dominated conversations for all the wrong reasons — stirring up complaints and controversy about everything from the drenched, out-of-focus boat parade to performances deemed offensive by many.

Will the closing ceremony for the Games be any better? Can Paris redeem itself?

Here's what we know about the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Closing ceremony titled “Records” on Aug 12 is scheduled for 2.30am to 5.30am (Malaysian time) from the Stade de France, where rugby sevens and track and field events have been hosted.
• Paris 2024 committee president Tony Estanguet said the ceremony will be “solemn and emotional, but it will also be a time for celebration... Innovative, surprising and brilliant, these ceremonies already promise to be very powerful.”
• It will reportedly feature a “futuristic world where the Games have disappeared.”
• The closing bash will highlight two iconic French bands, Grammy-winning Phoenix and Air, executive director Thierry Reboul confirmed to Variety in an interview/
• Electronic duo Air, formed by Niolas Godin andJean-Benoit Dunckel, have released six albums and two soundtracks that sold millions of copies, and have been on tour this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1998 debut album Moon Safari while Phoenix is an alternative rock band formed in 1995 and led by frontman Thomas Mars. Mars is also married to Sofia Coppola and has collaborated with the filmmaker multiple times.
• Main highlight of the show appeared to be the handover of the Games to the next host in Los Angeles in a segment that is prepared by the Los Angeles 2028 organising committee.
• Reboul told Variety that the segment prepared by the LA organising committee will last 10 to 15 minutes and will include some live elements.
• “As per the tradition, Los Angeles has prepared a sort of teaser that lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and it’s dedicated to them, to show what their Olympic games will look like — and they’ve had all the freedom to create their segment,” said Reboul. “It’s going to include lots of things. We’re in charge of producing some things for them, but they are 100% in charge of it.”
• The roster of performers for the LA segment of the ceremony is ultra-confidential with Reboul only one of the few people within the Paris 2024 committee who know the lineup.
• French outlets have predicted that Beyoncé will be the headline performer of the closing ceremony, some staffers within the Paris committee have told Variety that they are betting on Swift, based on her social media activity and the fact that she has a gap in her Eras Tour schedule.
• Many stars have been spotted in Paris including Barbie director Greta Gerwig, Michelle Yeoh, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes. Apart from the presence of the likes of Snoop Dogg and rumours of Leonardo DiCaprio flying in for the closing ceremony – there are no indications however that these A-listers are set to participate.
• It has been reported that there will be a segment featuring Tom Cruise stunts picking up the Olympic flag and transferring it to LA, with video sequences already filmed on both sides of the Atlantic.