Great show with acrobats, medal presentations and LA preview

The closing ceremony of this year's Olympic Games will be a huge spectacle, with more than 100 acrobats and aerial artists, the final medal presentations and a preview of the 2028 games in Los Angeles. The ceremony will begin at 3pm EDT at the Stade de France, the national stadium that has hosted rugby sevens and track and field events. Live coverage will begin at 2:00 PM EDT on Sunday, August 11.

The closing show, aptly named 'Records', is directed by Thomas Jolly, who also directed the opening ceremony. Performers will include acrobats, circus performers, dancers, gymnasts and aerial ballet dancers, who will perform on metal structures representing the Olympic rings. The ceremony will also feature the traditional parade of flags and athletes, parliaments, a final medal ceremony and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame. The Olympic flag will then be delivered to Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 summer games.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will be present at the ceremony. Oscar-winning, five-time Grammy-winning American R&B singer HER will sing the American National Anthem. Other rumored performers include Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who will be seen in a mix of live and pre-recorded performances.

Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who is currently filming “Mission: Impossible 8” in Europe, is rumored to perform a stunt at the closing ceremony. A clip of the cruise ship skydiving to the Hollywood sign is expected to play a role in the move to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.

The final medal ceremony is expected to award the winners of the women's marathon from earlier in the day. The ceremony will be co-hosted by “The Tonight Show's” Jimmy Fallon and sportscaster Mike Tirico. Former Olympians Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, along with NBC Sports' Terry Gannon, will commentate.

Despite the excitement, controversy has arisen after a last-minute scoring change prevented Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu from winning bronze in the women's floor exercise. Romanian official Marcel Ciolacu has said he will not attend the Olympic closing ceremony in protest, claiming that Barbosu was “treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner”.