Leveraging Olympic Closing Ceremonies to enhance and communicate Legacy narratives: the case of Paris 2024

This article explores the Olympic Closing Ceremony as a strategic yet underutilised platform for communicating and enhancing Olympic legacy. While legacy and leveraging discourses often focus on post-Games evaluation, we argue that narrative: especially within the globally broadcast spectacle of the Closing Ceremony – plays a vital role in shaping public memory and understanding of legacy. Using the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony and handover to Los Angeles 2028 as a case study, we assess how legacy goals were, or were not, integrated into the ceremonial narrative. We find that despite its potential, the ceremony often suffers from narrative fragmentation and missed opportunities. We advocate for more coherent, purposefully designed narratives that reflect Olympic and Paralympic values. Future research is recommended to evaluate audience reception, narrative impact, and cross-ceremony legacy continuity. This work positions the Closing Ceremony as a critical, affective tool in the legacy-leveraging process and communication within Olympic discourse.