When Do the Olympics End? (And Is Tom Cruise Involved?)

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I would watch the Olympics all day, every day, all year, if I could, but the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics can't go on forever. The Summer Olympics will come to a close on Sunday, August 11.

When and how to watch the Summer Olympics' closing ceremony

The Olympic's closing ceremony will take place at France's national stadium, the Stade de France, with the events scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 11, at 8 pm Paris time. That's 2 pm ET and 11 am PT.

You can watch the closing ceremony live on NBC or stream it live on NBC's Peacock platform on August 11, at 2 pm ET and 11 am PT.

What to expect from the Olympics closing ceremony

Do not for a moment believe that the closing ceremony of the Olympics is an "anything goes" affair. There is a strict set of protocols that will be followed, lest all the medals don't count and they have to do everything over (I guess). Here's how it will go down:

Entrance of Head of State (HOS) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President

Playing of the national anthem

Entry of nations’ flag

Parade of athletes

Victory ceremonies

Introduction of the IOC Athletes’ Commission’s newly elected members and recognition of the volunteers

Moment of remembrance

Playing of the Greek national anthem

Lowering the Olympic flag and flag handover ceremony

Next host artistic segment

OCOG President’s speech and IOC President’s speech

Extinguishing the Olympic flame

Beyond that, we know that the theme for the closing ceremony is “Records,” and the performance aspect will involve over 100 acrobats, dancers, and circus artists as well as "world-renowned singers" who have yet to be named.

Will Tom Cruise be there?

There is a rumor circulating that Tom Cruise will participate in the Olympics' Closing Ceremony. According to TMZ, Cruise will rappel down from the top of Stade de France and land on the stadium field carrying an Olympic flag.

The next city to host the Olympics is Los Angeles, and there's a section in the program called "next host artistic segment." If that turns out to be anything but Tom Cruise doing a ridiculous, Mission Impossible-style stunt in front of the entire world, I'll be embarrassed for my hometown.

Where does the closing ceremony come from?

You might imagine that the solemn pomp and ritual and the joyous artistic expression of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics are all based on the Greek traditions that gave birth to the Games themselves. And they are, but only in an indirect way.

There's no historical record of specific events for the opening or closing ceremonies of the Ancient Greek games, beyond descriptions of “parades, processions, and sacrifices to the Gods" that marked both the beginning and the end of Greek festivals in general. But the Ancient Greeks wove dance, music, and art into their lives constantly, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the modern Games are a nod to that, even if the details (and the Olympic rings, and the medal ceremonies, and the Olympic torch, and really most of the Olympics) were invented in the early part of the 20th century.

We should bring back the sacrifices, though.

What will people be outraged about at the closing ceremony?

There's no telling what will set off the kinds of people who are rattled by cultural expression, but you can bet that some of the hundreds of performers at the Olympics' closing ceremony will blaspheme all that is good and holy by existing. The closing ceremonies are taking place in Paris, after all, and French people have a long and awesome tradition of artistic provocation.