Why is Tom Cruise at the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony? Action star will reportedly do 'epic stunt'

The 2024 Paris Olympics will end Sunday with an extravagant exclamation point.

After 17 days of intense, high-stakes competition between the best athletes in the world in their respective sports, the closing ceremony will mark the conclusion of the Games and start the long, occasionally excruciating four-year wait for the Olympics to return.

Unlike the opening ceremony , which took place along the Seine River, the closing ceremony will more closely resemble its predecessors, with many of the nearly 11,000 athletes representing 206 national delegations walking joyously into the Stade de France, where track and field events have taken place over much of the past two weeks.

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The famous faces inside the 80,000-seat venue won’t be limited to the likes of Simone Biles , LeBron James and Katie Ledecky.

Among the famous faces there will be Tom Cruise , who will be more than just a spectator as the Olympics draw to a close.

Why, exactly, is he there?

Here’s what you need to know about Cruise’s appearance at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, as well as how to watch the event:

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS: Meet the members of Team USA competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Why is Tom Cruise at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Cruise, of course, was not among those competing in the Olympics. Beyond his age — 62 years old, well past his athletic prime for the overwhelming majority of Olympic sports — the American actor stands at just 5-foot-7 and has famously unorthodox running form .

He has been spotted in the crowd at various Olympic events, including gymnastics and swimming in the first week of the Games and, more recently, the United States women’s soccer team’s 1-0 victory against Brazil in the gold medal match Saturday.

His most notable contribution to the Olympics will come right as they’re ending.

At Sunday’s closing ceremony, Cruise or a stunt double will reportedly rappel down from the top of Stade de France and land on the stadium’s file while carrying the Olympic flag. According to TMZ , NBC’s broadcast of the closing ceremony will then transition to a previously recorded video of the actor flying from Paris to Los Angeles, where he skydives from a plane down to the Hollywood sign.

The skydiving video was filmed in March, according to TMZ, which released photos of Cruise climbing the Hollywood sign. Though he was shown on the iconic sign, there was no photographic or video evidence of Cruise skydiving.

TMZ’s report noted that Cruise had actually approached the International Olympic Committee (IOC) himself and proposed doing a series of stunts during the closing ceremony.

While Cruise’s inclusion in the festivities may seem random, it serves a purpose beyond a gratuitous cameo for a movie star.

Cruise will be at the center of the ceremonial transition from the Paris Games to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. At past closing ceremonies, the Olympic flag has been handed over to members of the delegation from the host city of the next Summer Olympics host. Among those at the closing ceremony from Los Angeles will be the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, who will be presented the flag from Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. It will mark the first time a Black female mayor has received the flag, Bass’ office told Reuters .

Though there’s the looming possibility a stunt double will go in Cruise’s place, the actor has been famous throughout his career, even in the later stages of it, for performing his own stunts. During the filming of the 2023 movie “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” Cruise rode a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuted down to safety. Years ago, he also learned how to fly a helicopter so he could pilot the aircraft during certain scenes for the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

This won’t be the first time Cruise has been involved in some form with an Olympic tradition. In 2004, he helped carry the Olympic torch through Los Angeles as the torch made its way across the world en route to its final destination in Athens, the site of that year’s Games.

When is the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?

• Date : Sunday, August 11
• Time : 3 p.m. ET

The closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will air live Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. A replay of it will be shown at 7 p.m. ET.

Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics with Fubo (free trial)

What channel is the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?

• TV channel : NBC
• Streaming : NBCOlympics.com | NBC Olympics app | Peacock | Fubo (free trial)

The closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will air on NBC, which will be the network home for both the live broadcast and the replay later that day. Streaming options for the closing ceremony include NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Olympics app, Peacock and Fubo , the last of which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Tom Cruise at the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony? Action star will reportedly do 'epic stunt'