(Olympics) 33rd Summer Games end with celebration of athletes in Paris

The 33rd Summer Olympic Games drew to a conclusion in Paris on Sunday with a celebration of athletic feats accomplished in and around the French capital over the past two weeks.

Paris hosted its first Olympics in 100 years, with over 10,000 athletes from 205 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team competing for 329 gold medals in 32 sports.

South Korea exceeded its own target and earned 13 gold medals, tying its record for most at a Summer Games. South Korea finished in eighth place in the medal table, with the United States finishing first by winning 40 gold medals, 44 silver medals and 42 bronze medals for 126 medals total. China also won 40 gold medals but only 27 silver medals to rank behind the Americans.

After hosting the opening ceremony on the Seine River, Paris stuck with tradition and held the closing ceremony at the main stadium, Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, just north of the capital.

For South Korea, taekwondo gold medalist Park Tae-joon and boxing bronze medalist Im Ae-ji served as co-flag bearers for the parade of athletes.

Park won the men’s -58-kilogram title for South Korea’s first taekwondo gold medal in Paris. Im grabbed a bronze medal in the women’s 54kg event for South Korea’s first medal ever in women’s boxing.

The flag bearers took center stage on the pitch redesigned as the map of the world. An estimated 9,000 athletes and team staff joined the closing ceremony, as hundreds of artists and performers put on a show celebrating the athletes and their shared experience at the Olympics in front of about 71,000 spectators.

The next Summer Olympics will take place in 2028 in Los Angeles.