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After two weeks of intense, thrilling competition between the world’s best athletes – not to mention a handful of controversies – the Paris Olympics are coming to an end.

Team GB secured over a dozen gold medals for performances in sports including swimming, mountain biking, shooting, rowing, and the men’s triathlon, winning over 50 medals in total.

US gymnast Simon Biles made a triumphant return securing her seventh gold medal, while Swedish sports star Armand “Mondo” Duplantis won a gold medal for pole-vaulting, breaking the world record for the ninth time.

French swimmer Léon Marchand won five medals — four of them gold — fulfilling comparisons to Michael Phelps, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem broke an Olympic record, and secured the first individual gold medal for the country.

However, the games were not without controversy, as Algeria’s Imane Khelif battled a vicious gender row after she beat Italy’s Angela Carini in 46 seconds.

After the opening ceremony was met with intense backlash for offending the Christian community, the secular state was forced to change the closing event for the “umpteenth time” in a bid to appease religious groups. The resulting celebration is said to be more considered so that “we are not made to say what we do not want to say”, according to Thierry Reboul, executive director of both the opening and closing events.

The Romanian prime minister has promised to boycott the event after controversy surrounding a gymnastics ruling.

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When is the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony?

The final game of the Olympics will be the women’s basketball gold medal event which will take place at 2.30pm BST at the Bercy Arena in Paris.

The event will take place on Sunday 11 August and it is scheduled to begin at 8pm BST until 10.30pm BST. It will take place in the Stade de France, just north of Paris, with capacity for over 80,000 spectators, after the audacious opening ceremony took place at the Seine River.

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What will happen during the closing ceremony?

Traditional fixtures of the ceremony include the athletes’ parade, handover of the Olympic flag to the organisers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and a final medal presentation ceremony (for the women’s marathon from earlier in the day).

Organisers have promised “over a hundred performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists”. And speculation has been rife as musical performances and “the participation of world-renowned singers” were confirmed to complete the picture.

“Part of the show will take place in the air, while the giant sets, costumes, and spectacular lighting effects will take spectators on a journey through time, both past and future.”

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Thomas Jolly, artistic director of both the opening and closing ceremonies added: “It’s a very visual, very choreographic, very acrobatic show with an operatic dimension to give a great visual fresco and say goodbye to athletes from all over the world.”

Meanwhile organisers have promised a “science-fiction” and “dystopia” element to the show, which is named “Records”.

Who will be performing?

While no names have officially been confirmed,Variety has reported that Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will take the stage. This Morning hosts Craig Doyle and Jordan North speculated that Beyoncé could be performing after rumours spread online, however there have been no official reports confirming this.

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Top Gun star Tom Cruise is said to be performing an “epic stunt” at the event. According to TMZ, the Mission: Impossible star plans to rappel down from the top of Stade de France, land on the stadium field and carry the Olympic flag.

While details of the closing ceremony are being kept top secret, it is known that LA Mayor Karen Bass will receive the Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during the televised spectacle.

“Expect a major Hollywood production,” Deadline reported, citing its own source.

How can I watch the closing ceremony?

For those in the UK, it will be live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Television coverage begins at 19:00 BST and there will be an accompanying live text.

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