The Olympic torch was passed to Los Angeles last night (August 11) in a handover that featured performances by Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Snoop Dogg. The opening segment began with H.E.R. performing the Mission: Impossible theme while Tom Cruise rappelled into the Stade de France in Paris. The full segment is available to view on BBC iPlayer. Afterward, a pre-recorded segment saw Cruise landing in the Hollywood Hills as part of the handover to the games in Los Angeles, which will take place in 2028.
The US Olympic Team was handed the flag by Cruise and eventually arrived at Venice Beach, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers kicked off the American portion of the closing ceremony with ‘Can’t Stop’. Eilish then performed her song ‘Birds Of A Feather’ on a lifeguard lookout, followed by Snoop Dogg, who played ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’. To close their performance, Snoop Dogg teamed up with Dr. Dre for their classic hit ‘The Next Episode’.
All three acts were announced earlier in the day and were confirmed to perform at the closing ceremony. LA28 chairperson Casey Wasserman provided a statement regarding the performers, saying: “This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to LA.” He added: “We are thrilled to feature the very best of LA with local artists and are grateful to Billie, H.E.R., the Chili Peppers, and Snoop for their collaboration on what will be an incredible show to a global audience that will give fans a taste of what’s to come in 2028.”
The events began with an epic opening ceremony along the river Seine on July 26, featuring Lady Gaga performing French cabaret song ‘Mon truc en plumes’ and Gojira performing French Revolution song ‘Ah Ça Ira!’ with opera singer Marina Viotti. Celine Dion also performed for the first time in four years, taking on Edith Piaf’s ‘L’Hymne A L’Amour’ in her first show since revealing in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS)
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