Summer Olympics

Athletes of Greece take part in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France, on August 28. [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]

It took countless events and many years for the Olympic officials to decide to honor the birthplace of the Games, Greece.

Hollywood star Tom Cruise abseiled from the roof of the Stade de France as Paris said farewell on Sunday to an Olympics hailed as one of the most successful in history.

Cruise descended on a wire in front of 71,500 spectators, grabbed the Olympic flag and jumped on a motorbike, to the delight of athletes and fans.

Tom Cruise participated spectacularly in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The Hollywood star symbolically “passed the baton” for the 2028 Olympic Games to the next host city, Los Angeles, offering the audience a one-of-a-kind show.

Paris handed over the Olympic flag to the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, setting the stage for the next Games in 2028 during a closing ceremony.

Greece's bid to host the 1996 Olympics on the centenary of the modern Games in Athens seemed so ludicrous, it even featured in the verses of a song written by Lina Nikolakopoulou and performed by Haris Alexiou, poking fun at the audacity of such an ambitious undertaking by a country still struggling to join modernity.

The Goddess Nike at the Panathenaic Stadium with the Parthenon in the Background: The Design of the Olympic Medal Born from the Imagination of Creator Elena Votsi

The Olympic medal, designed by Elena Votsi for the 2004 Olympic Games, was decided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to consistently feature one of its sides for many years to come.

The glow of the fireworks has gone for good over the OAKA Olympic stadium in northern Athens. Santiago Calatrava's iconic canopy has been left "naked," without the polycarbonate panels. The current management of the Olympic complex now says it will try to wake up the "white elephant" from its 20-year slumber. All the previous ones had said the same.

Greek rowers Petros Gkaidatzis and Antonios Papakonstantinou react following their performance in the lightweight men's double sculls final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The event, held on Friday at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in Vaires-sur-Marne, saw the Greek duo finish behind Ireland and Italy, securing a bronze medal. This achievement marks Greece's third Olympic medal at Paris 2024.

As Greeks watch the Paris Olympics, their mind inevitably goes back 20 years to the Athens Games.