Paris 2024: Karalis and Platanioti Flag Bearers for Greece at the Closing Ceremony

The Hellenic Olympic Committee announced that by decision of the Head of Mission, Petros Synadinos, Emmanuel Karalis and Evangelia Platanioti have been designated as the flag bearers for the Greek delegation at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.

Emmanuel Karalis won the bronze medal in the pole vault final, and Evangelia Platanioti, in her fourth Olympic participation, placed 6th.

The Closing Ceremony will start at 22:00 Greek time and will take place at the Stade de France.

Team Hellas will depart on Monday at 14:00 Greek time on an AEGEAN flight and will arrive in Athens at 17:10.

What to expect at the Closing Ceremony

Tom Cruise on the roof of the Stade de France, electronic music legends Air and Phoenix on the soundtrack, and an unforgettable handover to Los Angeles. The organizers of the Paris Olympic Games aim to create a “wave of joy” to close the event in style in Paris.

Two weeks after the first opening ceremony in the history of the Games outside a stadium, expectations are high for the closing ceremony at the Stade de France, which hosted track and field events.

Artistic director Thomas Jolly told reporters today (9/8) that his goal is to create a true celebration.

Shorter than the opening ceremony, which began at 20:30 and concluded after 00:30, the closing ceremony will start with the “return” of athletes to the stadium, followed by a 40-minute show “directed” by Thomas Jolly, featuring music primarily from Air and Phoenix.

There will then be speeches and the handover to Los Angeles, the city that will host the next Summer Games in 2028, with “a hymn that connects France and the United States,” said the artistic director of the Ceremonies to the French news agency (AFP). The event will conclude with a “touching finale” around 00:30.

Another highlight will be the extinguishing of the Flame in the Olympic cauldron.

At the center of this performance will be an opera piece called “Records,” blending past and futuristic images.

“I am happy to return to the stadium and find certain advantages, a place where we can work on the decor, a place that resembles more of a theater and opera,” said Thomas Jolly.

“We wanted to aim high, even into space, and our story is about an interstellar traveler who arrives at the stadium and discovers the remnants of the Olympic Games. He will revive them, just as Pierre de Coubertin wanted to revive the ancient Olympic Games in the late 19th century,” explains screenwriter Damien Gabriac.

This character, the “Golden Traveler,” dressed entirely in gold and light colors by young Swiss designer Kevin Germanier, will be portrayed by French breakdancer Arthur Cadre.

More than one hundred performers, acrobats, dancers, and circus artists will transform the stadium into a giant performance hall with a massive stage.

Part of the performance will take place in the air, with several sequences “without safety nets at significant heights,” noted choreographer Kevin Vires.

The costumes, entirely recycled by Kevin Germanier (except for the outfits of the stars dressed by sponsor Dior), will be in a palette of gold, black, and glitter.

The Divertimento Symphony Orchestra, with the master’s school children of Fontainebleau, will provide the musical accompaniment for the performance.

And then, there will be the presence of Los Angeles. According to U.S. media, “Mission: Impossible” star Tom Cruise could perform a stunt for the audience at the Stade de France and ensure the passing of the Olympic flag between Paris and the United States, with videos filmed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Names like rapper Snoop Dogg, NBC consultant, rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, and singer Billie Eilish were also mentioned. Some still dream of a performance by Beyoncé, a passionate supporter of Team USA on her social media.

“The opening ceremony is more about the imagination of a country that we present. The closing ceremony is a reminder of the values of Olympism, such as sharing, universality, and the fragility of the world,” emphasized the director of the opening and closing ceremonies, Thierry Reboul, to AFP.

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