Tom Cruise Injects Some Hollywood Flash Into Olympic Closing Ceremony Handoff

Tom Cruise is a man on a mission. 

The 62-year-old actor was recruited by the organizers of the Summer Games to help in the handoff of the Olympic flag between Paris and Los Angeles officials at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. 

In an action-packed sequence, the actor repelled from the top of the Stade de France to grab the flag from Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass before climbing onto the back of his motorcycle and speeding through the City of Lights. He then took a high-speed flight to Los Angeles in record time and jumped out of the plane with his parachute. As he lands on the mountains above Los Angeles, he travels to the Hollywood sign, which is transformed to include the Olympic rings.  

Olympic medalist skateboarder Jagger Eaton, mountain biker Kate Courtney, and track and field gold medalist Michael Johnson then have their turn carrying the Olympic flag. They skate, bike, and run through the streets of Santa Monica and pass by other iconic sites.

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A Preview of LA28

U.S. actor Tom Cruise waves the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on August 11, 2024. Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Eaton, Johnson, and Courtney's journey to L.A. ended on the beach, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg were waiting to hold their own concert on the beach. The Red Hot Chili Peppers went first before handing off to Eilish and her brother Finneas, who performed her hit song "Birds of a Feather."

For the grand finale, Snoop Dogg rapped his song "Drop It Like It's Hot" and then brought out fellow West Coast rapper Dr. Dre to join him on the stage. The celebration ended with a blast of colors on the beach.

U.S. actor Tom Cruise lands on the roof of one of the stadium entrances during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on August 11, 2024. Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Following their performance, Leon Marchand brought the Olympic flame back to the Stade de France, where the flame was extinguished. 

With the Paris Olympics officially over, the countdown to the Los Angeles Olympics has officially started. Come 2028, thousands of athletes will descend upon the City of Angels to go for the gold. And though the Games are just under four years away, the Los Angeles organizers have already announced the venues and locations of some sports. Included among those sites are the iconic L.A. Coliseum and the Inglewood Stadium (also known as the SoFi Stadium).

Let the countdown begin!

To see the Closing Ceremony in primetime tune in to Peacock or NBC at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Countdown to LA28 will air at the conclusion of the Closing Ceremony, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and will be hosted by Venus Williams.