Cruise swung from atop Stade de France before touching down on the stadium’s field with the Olympic flag in tow
Tom Cruise engaged in a little risky business to close out the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The actor, long known for doing his own stunts, helped wrap up the Paris Olympics and hand things off to Los Angeles for the 2028 Games with a skydiving stunt that saw him swing from atop Stade de France before touching down on the stadium’s field.
The Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One star, 62, greeted athletes as he walked toward the stage, accompanied by some shredding guitar courtesy of H.E.R., who had just sung the American national anthem.
He received the Olympic flag from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and gymnast Simone Biles, then strapped it safely to the back of a motorcycle and rode off into the sunset — or at least, into a pre-recorded video that tracked his journey to Hollywood.
In the video, Cruise sped down the streets of Paris on the motorcycle, passing landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, and cruised onto a waiting airplane.
“I’m on my way,” he said, as he put on skydiving gear to the tune of “By the Way” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Cruise then leapt from the plane and headed to the iconic Hollywood sign, where he turned the “O”s into Olympic rings before passing the flag off to Olympic cyclist Kate Courtney.
Courtney then rode through Los Angeles and with some help from Olympians Michael Johnson and Jagger Eaton, and pulled up to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert on Venice Beach, which also included performances by Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg.
Cruise has long been a fan and supporter of the Olympic Games, and in 2004, carried the Olympic torch in Dodger Stadium as part of the L.A. portion of the Olympic Torch Relay.
He was present in Paris for various events, including some swimming events on July 27, the women’s gymnastics qualifications round on July 28, and the women’s soccer gold medal match on Aug. 10, where the U.S. took home the win against Brazil.
Team USA flagbearers for the closing ceremony are swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead, who are both heading home with gold medals.
“To share this privilege with Katie makes it all the more special,” Mead said in the statement. “My experience at the Paris Games has been the dream of a lifetime and I’m filled with immense pride, gratitude and joy. I also wish to thank the city of Paris, and the entire country of France, for hosting an incredible Games. I’ll cherish these memories forever.”
“I am so proud of this team’s accomplishments in Paris,” Ledecky said. “And [I’m] excited to celebrate with my teammates on Sunday.”
Source people.com
