France bids farewell to Olympics with Champs-Elysees parade

PARIS

France bid a final and reluctant farewell to the Paris Olympics on Sept. 14 with a parade on the Champs-Elysees followed by a concert featuring artists from the opening and closing ceremonies.

The final event of an acclaimed summer of sport saw tens of thousands of fans gather on the French capital's most famous avenue to applaud and cheer the nation's new sporting heroes.

Around 70,000 people gathered for the parade featuring athletes, volunteers and public sector workers, which was followed by a multi-artist concert on a spectacular stage around the Arc de Triomphe.

"Saying thanks, not just to the athletes but to everyone who made these games magic, I think it's fabulous," said France's most-decorated track athlete, Marie-Jose Perec, who lit the cauldron at the start of the Games on July 26.

"It's a beautiful way of saying goodbye because everything must come to an end and tonight it will all be over."

After months of gloom and self-doubt in the run-up to the start of the Olympics, Parisians and the country at large threw themselves into the spirit of the Games once the sport began.

They embraced new champions such as triple gold medal-winning swimmer Leon Marchand while finding fresh reasons to celebrate veterans such as judoka Teddy Riner who won his fourth Olympic title.

He, Marchand and Rugby Sevens star Antoine Dupont were among more than 100 French medal winners who were awarded the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest civilian award, in a ceremony at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe led by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The French team finished the Olympics with a record medals haul of 64, including 16 golds, securing fifth place on the international table.

The Paralympic Games from Aug. 28-Sept. 8 were hailed as "the most spectacular ever" by the head of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons.

Analysts say the Games served as a form of escapism for many French people worried about the direction of the country as well as generating a rare form of national union and pride.

Macron is seeking to take advantage of this more positive mood, having faced widespread criticism for his decision to call snap parliamentary elections in June which blindsided Paris 2024 organizers.

The 46-year-old was the main instigator of Saturday's event, which was not originally part of the Olympic or Paralympic program.

He has also announced his intention to create an Olympics-inspired "national day of sport" every year on Sept. 14.