Paris bids farewell to memorable Olympic Games with celebratory closing ceremony

PARIS: It was "au revoir" to an Olympic Games of spectacular venues, exuberant crowds and special moments on Sunday (Aug 11), with a finale fitting of the occasion.

At the Stade de France, more than 70,000 enjoyed an extravaganza celebrating not only athletes but Paris itself as well.

While the Games opened along the uncharacteristic surrounds of the Seine, France's largest stadium in Saint-Denis took centre stage on Sunday.

It was on the stadium's lavender track that numerous records were set, and perhaps no coincidence that "Records" was the name of the closing ceremony.

As the setting Parisian sun signalled the end of another glorious summer day, cameras panned to the Jardin des Tuileries.

There, a choir performed an ode to the French capital and its various landmarks in the form of the classic Sous le ciel de Paris. And there were roars of joy as grinning hometown hero Leon Marchand strode up to the Olympic caldron and lit a lantern with the flame.

Swimmer Marchand finished the Games with four golds and one bronze, and was undoubtedly one of the standout performers at the multi-event meet.

With the sky highlighted by soft pink hues, the entrance of the flags began. Singapore's flag bearers were newly minted Olympic bronze medallist Maximilian Maeder and kayaker Stephenie Chen.

A total of 23 athletes represented Singapore across 11 sports at the Paris Olympics. The contingent returns home with a medal – the country's first in eight years – courtesy of 17-year-old Maeder.

There were also a number of breakthrough performances for the rest of the contingent. 

Swimmer Gan Ching Hwee netted two national records in her debut Games, Loh Kean Yew became the first Singaporean in two decades to reach a badminton quarter-final, and Chen