James FitzGerald
BBC News reporter at the Stade de France

Welcome to a sizzling Stade de France, one of the world’s true cathedrals of sport. This place has memorably played host to various finals in football, rugby and athletics.

From 20:00 BST, it hosts a different sort of finale – the curtain-call of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Workers have been completing preparations over the last few hours while performers carried out last-minute rehearsals.

There's a festive vibe as the stands fill up with face-painted and flag-clad fans. Others are a bit exhausted after the Olympic fortnight. "Thank goodness it's over," said a member of security as I entered.

If this doesn't pull at the heart strings then what will?

Amber Rutter welcomed her first child, Tommy, on 25 April, and just over three months later, she became Olympic silver in skeet shooting.

Rutter competed at Rio 2016 under her maiden name of Hill but missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after contracting Covid-19 on the eve of the Games.

She even considered quitting the sport after that disappointment.

Marc Higginson
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

My moment of the Games was Amber Rutter’s silver medal in the shooting.

It summed up everything which the Olympics is about – it was dramatic, it was excruciatingly tense, and it was a sport that until a few moments previous, I don’t mind admitting was not my specialist subject.

It happened during the shift change in the BBC Sport office – when the late team were replacing the early team, flagging after another day of brilliant action.

Yet not one journalist left until they’d seen the conclusion. Everyone gathered around one screen – cheering Amber towards what we hoped would be gold.

We knew Amber’s back story, and the heartbreak of Tokyo, and we were swept up on a wave of Team GB giddiness.

Gold wasn’t to be, but what drama! It felt like a penalty shootout – and the magnitude of it was not lost on me when both my children and a friend brought it up the next day.

That’s what sport does – it provides water cooler moments in the supermarket aisles on a summer Monday morning. Well done, Amber – you nailed it.

James FitzGerald
BBC News reporter in Paris

Various Olympics fans who I met on the streets of Paris yesterday were sad the Games were coming to an end, having been impressed with the execution.

A group from the Netherlands was celebrating a dramatic gold-medal in the women’s hockey final.

Fieke said she’d felt safe in the French capital and praised the event organisers. All that was missing was the availability of beer in the stadiums, she said.

Philippe agreed, saying the Games had been “amazing” in the way the sport integrated with the city. He added that Paris had provided a beautiful backdrop.

A couple from Ireland were glad Paris had proven “easy to get around” after they made a last-minute decision to book, having enjoyed the competitions on TV.

Beth Tweddle
London 2012 bronze medallist

My moment has to be Bryony Page winning a first trampoline gold for Great Britain.

Jake Jarman and Harry Hepworth winning gymnastics bronze medals on their Olympics debut was also pretty special. Outside of my sport, Keely Hodgkinson (800m gold) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Heptathlon silver).

Sir Chris Hoy
Six-time Olympic cycling champion on BBC TV

There are the moments that you truly remember and are so special.

In 10, 20, 30 years time looking back you remember these moments as an athlete.

Image source, Getty Images

James FitzGerald
BBC News reporter in Paris

The last couple of weeks seem to have been special even for some of those Parisians who aren’t fussed about the competitions themselves.

I met Katty and Paul in Montmartre. Katty admitted they weren’t very interested in the sport, but there was “a good feeling Paris at the moment because it’s calm”.

Paul, an engineer and part-time artist, was in agreement. The opening ceremony in particular had left him “proud” that his city was showing the world what it could do.

And he, too, felt that summertime Paris had seen “fewer people than usual” on the streets, which was “not as expected”.

Mike, Hampshire

Image source, Getty Images

UK Sport Director of Performance, Dr Kate Baker said: “Winning over 60 medals for the fourth consecutive Games, something only matched by the US and China, should not be underestimated and huge credit should go to the brilliant athletes who have impressed and inspired in Paris."

Image source, Reuters

The King and Queen have congratulated Team GB's competitors for their "many outstanding successes" during the Games.

GB claimed 65 medals over the fortnight - topping their haul in Tokyo three years ago.

A statement from the King lauds the competitors for their "invaluable combination of raw talent, true grit and hard toil", for which they are "an inspiration". He also thanks France for hosting the Games.

The royals also offer a word of condolence for those athletes who missed out, telling them they've "certainly not fallen short in the pride that you, too, have generated for your nations".

Fred Sirieix
First Dates star and father of GB diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix on BBC TV

Image source, Getty Images

It's so emotional. I have been crying every day since I arrived in Paris.

I came on the same train as Team GB, on the same train as my daughter and since I have arrived I have been crying because just the emotion - it has been too strong.

Over the next few hours we will be highlighting some of the amazing pictures captured by photographers. Here are three of the best images from day one.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

James FitzGerald
BBC News reporter in Paris

It’s been “wonderful” to see fans return to the Olympics en masse after Covid, said one Japanese woman who I met this weekend in Paris.

“The whole town is celebrating,” Mika said. “Even if you don’t have a ticket, you can enjoy the vibe.”

She and her partner Brett, a Canadian, live in Tokyo and remember only too well the disappointment of seeing the last Games happen under the spectre of coronavirus in 2021.

They came to Paris as part of a relatively small contingent cheering on the athletes of Mongolia, whose athletes Brett represents.

One of them, 42-year-old Ser-Od Bat-Ochir, yesterday became the first person to run six Olympic marathons.

“Just getting him to the start line was the thing, and we couldn’t be happier,” said Brett.

Katie Falkingham
BBC Sport in Paris

It’s a tight call for me between Tom Pidcock’s mountain bike gold, and the women’s team sprint gold in the velodrome, but I think I have to go for the latter.

The journey Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant have been on, from feeling like the “weakest link” in the British Cycling medal machine to standing on top of the Olympic podium, is incredible.

It’s a story I first started telling earlier this year, after the trio won Britain’s first women’s team sprint gold medal in 4,095 days at the Track Nations Cup in Adelaide. That’s more than 11 years.

They made a pact to change the narrative, and my word have they done that, winning Olympic gold in a world record time.

Now they need a new project, but the future of women’s sprinting in Great Britain certainly looks brighter than it has in recent years. Bring on LA.

After 16 days (and two prior to the opening ceremony) here's how the final medal table looks.

Image source, .

Matthew Henry
BBC Sport in Paris

The final gold of the Olympics went to the United States. It took the US to the top of the medal table but was also an agonising defeat for France.

As the silver medals were awarded to the French the crowd at Bercy Arena just broke into one last rendition of the national anthem anyway.

It felt like a special farewell to these Olympics from a spectacular host nation.

BBC One

The closing ceremony begins at 20:00 BST and you'll be able to watch it all unfold on BBC One - if rumours are to be believed then you don't want to miss this.

We'll be bringing you live text coverage of everything that takes place and you can also follow along by clicking 'watch live' at the top of this page.

We've been spoiled with golden moments over the past 16 days and not just from a Team GB respective.

History and memories aplenty have been made.

Over the next hour, before the closing ceremony at Stade de France gets in full swing, we want to hear from you.

What is your moment of the Games?

Get in touch using all the usual details - it's #bbcolympics on X, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply).

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images