The Paris Olympics has come to an end in a captivating closing ceremony in the French capital, bringing down the curtain on 16 days of thrilling action.
![Formation and raising of the Olympic Rings during the closing ceremony - 11 August 2024](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jhvz7z.jpg)
![The Golden Voyager descends on to the stage at the Olympics closing ceremony - 11 August 2024](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jhvwqq.jpg?)
![Performers during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games - 11 August 2024](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jhvwr1.jpg?)
More than 10,000 athletes competed in Paris across hundreds of events in a hugely entertaining Olympic Games.
![USA's Sunisa Lee competes in the uneven bars event of the artistic gymnastics](https://c.files.bbci.co.uk/1281A/production/_133520857_bar_flightv2.jpg)
![Kurtis Mathews of Australia in action in the Diving - Men's 3m Springboard Semifinal at the Aquatics Centre, Saint-Denis, France.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgzj4b.jpg?)
![Multiple exposure picture of the Chinese Chuqin Wang during his quarterfinal match against Woojin Jang of South Korea.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgzjnx.jpg?)
![Germany's Bo Kanda Lita Baehre runs in the men's pole vault final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgtth7.jpg)
The city's landmarks provided an enthralling backdrop for many of the events.
![Argentina's Jose Torres Gil takes part in a BMX freestyle training session at La Concorde in Paris](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfhb8b.jpg)
![Japan's Koki Kano and Hungary's Tibor Andrasfi compete in the men's epee individual semi-final bout at the Grand Palais in Paris](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jg3tcf.jpg)
![The Eiffel tower at sunset during a Men's Round of 16 match between Brazil and the Netherlands](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgkd38.jpg?)
![Remco Evenepoel from Belgium, cycles through the Moulin Rouge with Can Can dancers performing in the background](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgkfsq.jpg?)
![US' Bryce Wettstein competes in the women's park skateboarding final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgzm47.jpg)
Some events were held outside the capital, with the sailing and windsurfing in the Bay of Marseilles and the surfing contest almost 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
![Hermann Tomasgaard of Norway competes in the Men's Dinghy Medal Race in Marseille Marina.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jh18jv.jpg)
![Brazil's Gabriel Medina caught in mid air reacting after getting a large wave in the 5th heat of the men's surfing](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfhbnx.jpg)
![Underwater picture of French surfer Aelan Vaast](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfmkyg.jpg)
For the athletes, the Games was the culmination of years of training and sacrifice.
![Simone Biles is captured upside-down while performing a somersault during the final of the women's individual beam.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgl192.jpg)
![Canada's Krissy Scurfield tackles New Zealand's Jazmin Felix-Hotham during a rugby sevens match](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfmbsl.jpg?)
![Armenia's Davit Chaloyan takes a punch from Britain's Delicious Orie in a boxing match](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfmb91.jpg?)
![Azerbaijan's Mariya Stadnik and Mongolia's Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (L) in their women's freestyle 50kg wrestling quarter-final match](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jh08ny.jpg)
For some the hard work paid off.
![Valarie Allman representing the USA reacts in the women's discus throw final of the athletics event](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgtncs.jpg)
![USA’s Lauren Scruggs celebrates victory over Italy during the women’s foil team final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jg3cjs.jpg?)
![Republic of Korea's Se Young An celebrates during the women's badminton singles semifinal](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jglvs8.jpg?)
But for others the Games ended in heartbreak.
![Serbia's Marica Perisic reacts after losing her judo bout](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfn2sc.jpg)
![Norway's Sondre Guttormsen lies on the floor with his hand held out in the men's pole vault final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgtp5y.jpg)
After the drama and emotion of the Olympics, the countdown now begins for the Paralympic Games, which begins on 28 August and is also being held in Paris.
![Japan's Yuto Horigome competes in the men's street skateboarding final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfnclv.jpg?)
![Mexico's Gabriela Agundez Garcia and Alejandra Orozco Loza compete in the women's synchronised 10m platform diving final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfnc28.jpg?)
![A sunbeam illuminates Evelis Aguilar of Team Colombia and Lauren Gale of Team Canada as they compete during the Women's 400m Round 1](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgtqq5.jpg)
![Britain's Kieran Darren David Reilly competes in the Men's Cycling BMX Freestyle Park Final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jgtvbc.jpg)
![USA's Bam Adebayo goes for a rebound in the men's preliminary round group C basketball match with Serbia](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfghkp.jpg?)
![Japan's Miu Hirano eyes the ball as she prepares to serve in a women's table tennis match](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfgj6f.jpg?)
![long exposure photo shows Sunisa Lee of USA in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team Final](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfpclt.jpg)
![Team France compete in the team free routine of the artistic swimming event at the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jh0mcy.jpg)
![Overhead shot of Summer McIntosh of Team Canada competing in the Women's 200m Butterfly Heats](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfvbgm.jpg)
![An underwater view shows Bulgaria's Petar Petrov Mitsin competing in a heat of the men's 200m butterfly swimming](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfncq6.jpg)
![The moon is pictured through the Olympic rings displayed on the Eiffel tower](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/raw/p0jfn5ss.jpg)