Tom Cruise added a touch of Hollywood glamour to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris on Sunday evening when he threw himself from the roof of the Stade de France to the cheers of the 71,500 spectators – securely secured to a cable, of course.

After abseiling to the ground to the Mission Impossible As the soundtrack played, Grammy-winning R&B artist HER, the film legend grabbed the Olympic flag, hopped on a motorcycle and sped out of the stadium. Viewers around the world were then treated to a slickly produced action sequence that saw Cruise race through the streets of Paris, hop straight on a plane and parachute into Los Angeles – the host of the 2028 Olympic Games – before handing the flag over to American mountain biker Kate Courtney.

Passing the flag from the current host city to the next is part of the Olympic tradition, and so for the Olympics being held in a city that is home to Hollywood, it made perfect sense to have a representative like Cruise. Cruise, 62, has long been known for his love of performing his own stunts (including this completely insane one in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), and so the closing ceremony provided him with an excellent opportunity to add yet another item to the list.

The film star also posted a photo of himself in the Olympic Stadium with the message: “Thank you, Paris! Now it’s off to LA.”

Thanks, Paris! Now it’s off to LA. pic.twitter.com/MxlAb0hZbT

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) 11 August 2024

The closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics took place in a stadium and was a more traditional affair compared to last month’s opening ceremony, which was held outdoors for the first time in the sporting spectacle’s history. While rain at the opening ceremony drenched athletes and assembled spectators, the closing ceremony on Sunday evening saw fine weather and promised an exciting evening of entertainment.