The Olympics provided some much-needed light in decidedly dark times, writes IAN HERBERT, as the Paris games concluded with a ceremony worthy of the brilliance of the past two weeks Olympics officially drew to a close with a ceremony inside the Stade de France Paris games have provided a ray of light in what have been difficult times Attention now turns to the USA where the festival of sport will return in 2028 By Ian Herbert Published: 17:30 EDT, 11 August 2024 | Updated: 17:38 EDT, 11 August 2024 e-mail View comments The stadium illuminated by such brilliance these past weeks was cast into darkness as the Olympics closing ceremony’s theatrical element began last night. There was something very poignant about that. These Games are over and there is, once again, no counterpoint to the infernal gloom of the daily news narrative.
Raids are awaited imminently on Palestinian lands where Hamas fighters are said to be sheltering. Britain, shaken by days of rioting, is holding its breath. No-one pretends that sport shifts that narrative, though for a few weeks there have been a few shards of light.
Even the British Olympic Association’s chief executive Andy Anson – not a man for vague pronouncements - posited the notion here yesterday that the British athletes’ achievements can actually help salve the divides back at home. The mere process of staging Olympic ceremonies like this one can be treacherous in our divided times. Thomas Jolly, the French theatre director, received .