In true Hollywood style, star Tom Cruise received the Olympic flag in preparation for its transfer to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics. This took place alongside the performance of the U.S. national anthem, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass receiving the Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during the ceremony. Tom Cruise jumped on a motorcycle carrying the flag and exited the stadium to perform the symbolic handover to Los Angeles. Recently, the esteemed star was awarded the title of Knight of Arts and Letters by the French government in recognition of his role in the 2024 Paris Olympics taking place in the French capital. The award was in honor of the filming of "Mission Impossible" in Paris in 2017, which showcased the city at that time.
In 2022, Cruise also donated the ticket sales from "Top Gun: Maverick" to charities that assist injured soldiers and families affected by their injuries in wars. The Olympic Games in Paris concluded on Sunday, overcoming obstacles and achieving significant success. However, just a few weeks prior, the chances of these games succeeding in the City of Light seemed slim, as France was facing a political crisis and security officials expressed serious concerns about the potential for an attack. Many French citizens appeared indifferent or uncertain about how they felt regarding the games.
The International Olympic Committee could not afford further problems in the games amid pressures from sponsors and broadcasters after the COVID pandemic led to two previous Olympics in Beijing and Tokyo with far fewer spectators. Nevertheless, the games concluded with a celebration held at the Stade de France on Sunday, and those concerns seemed to be behind as Paris managed to revive the magic of the Olympics.
France surprised everyone; according to Michael Payne, former head of marketing for the International Olympic Committee, who has also worked with cities seeking to host the games and with sponsors, "France surprised people," especially after problems that plagued recent sporting events in Paris, such as the 2022 UEFA Champions League final. He added, "It worked beyond everyone's highest expectations."
To reinforce the idea that the Olympics had regained their magic, the closing ceremony featured the show "The Golden Traveler," which traverses through the future and revives the Olympics after their decline. The French organizers transformed Paris into an open Olympic playground welcoming everyone, whether ticketed or not, next to its famous tourist attractions after they avoided costly and valueless setups, prioritizing temporary arenas with stunning iconic backdrops.
With dawn, crowds gathered along the banks of the Seine River to watch swimmers, with the river's preparation and cleaning for this event costing nearly 1.5 billion euros ($1.64 billion). Near sunset, tens of thousands of tourists flocked to the Tuileries Garden, capturing selfies before the night fell over the spectacular competitions. Paris also avoided scandals and geopolitical crises such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza took only a marginal space during the games, as the upheavals of the U.S. presidential race and riots sweeping Britain dominated headlines.
Michael Payne noted that the success of the Paris Olympics "will reignite interest among other cities to host the games." He indicated that he had already noticed several cities aspiring to host the Olympics in 2036. Reuters reported Payne saying that Turkey held a high-level reception in Paris, which he described as an unofficial launch for Istanbul's Olympic bid. He added that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly saying everywhere that he has received an offer to host the games.
For Los Angeles 2028, Casey Wasserman, the CEO of the upcoming Olympic Games in Los Angeles, told Reuters, "They did an amazing job... the experience in the venues, which is all that matters to athletes and fans, is world-class." He added that the Los Angeles Games will not attempt to replicate Paris in form and substance, but rather in terms of "authenticity and execution," a perspective also expressed by IOC President Thomas Bach. Bach stated, "If Los Angeles wants to replicate the Eiffel Tower, the result will likely be disastrous." He continued, "Every Olympic Games should be characterized by authenticity and creativity, reflecting the culture of the host country."
Karen Bass, the Mayor of Los Angeles, acknowledged that Paris raised the bar and that the city’s homelessness issues will pose a challenge to be overcome. However, she stated, "We have Hollywood, so I expect a lot of magical opportunities."
Broadcast networks and sponsors are also captivated after two Olympic events that were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC Universal recorded its highest viewership in the U.S. since 2012 and achieved record ad sales, with total viewership during the first 14 days of the Paris Games up by 77 percent compared to the Tokyo Olympics. NBC Universal holds the largest Olympic media rights deal in the world after paying $7.65 billion in 2014 to extend broadcasting rights until 2032. Warner Bros. Discovery reported that viewership on its streaming platforms exceeded the total audience for the Tokyo Olympics during the first two days of the Paris Games.
Dori Ellis Garfinkel, Chief Marketing Officer at Siegel+Gale, a branding strategies company, stated that the Paris Games represent a "return to the Olympics" for advertisers, as data shows a 300 percent increase in brand searches during the opening ceremony compared to the Tokyo Games.
