The best uniforms from the award ceremony and closing ceremony in Paris2024

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris have come to an end, and after seventeen days of sporting action, the French capital bid farewell to the Olympic Five Circles with a grand finale at the Stade de France. In front of more than 80,000 spectators in a hall that was "transformed into a gigantic concert hall for the occasion" (according to the official programme), a hundred artists, acrobats, dancers and performers from all over the world performed tomorrow evening; and as is tradition, the final act was celebrated with choreographed 'aerial acts" and fireworks. This closed the circle that began with the glittering opening ceremony on the Seine on 26 July, which brought the 33rd edition of the Games to a close and passed the baton to Los Angeles 2028.

On the occasion of the opening ceremony, we took a look back on these pages at the most original, creative, symbolic and in some cases extravagant - if not eccentric - outfits that the athletes had presented on the Seine. We found most of these outfits at the parade on Sunday evening, but not all of them, as there were delegations with ad hoc uniforms for both situations (and more). And so today we also close our circle - or rather, the five circles - by taking a look at the must-have looks from the closing ceremony, as well as those that have stuck in our minds from the award ceremonies of recent weeks (the so-called 'podium uniforms'). There really is an outfit for every occasion at the Olympics and, as expected, the Paris edition was no exception.

A crowning finale

While the artists were dressed by Swiss designer Kevin Germanier, each delegation chose their own style and 'concept', sometimes even bucking the trend of the Opening Ceremony outfit. Among the countries that showed an unusual outfit were the United States, Canada and Great Britain, designed and signed by Ralph Lauren, Lululemon and Ben Sherman respectively.

After the blue jeansand blazer combination at the opening, the USA wore a much sportier uniform, but one that was just as inspired by typical elements of American dress. So here was a suit reminiscent of NASCAR racing suits (racing drivers), if not NASA (astronauts), combined with white jeans. Another look that will provide a bit of stars-and-stripes iconoclasm on the night the Olympic torch makes its journey to the USA.

Their neighbours, the Canadians, also visibly paid homage to their local heritage with their farewell look from Paris. The athletes' outfits, which were also worn at the award ceremony, are decorated with a design by indigenous artist Mason Mashon (Saddle Lake Cree Nation) and feature some of the natural elements that characterise the 'Great North', including the Aurora Borealis lights.

Finally, the British presented themselves in a vibrant - definitely vibrant - blue shirt with floral patterns reminiscent of the symbols of England (rose), Scotland (thistle), Wales (daffodil) and Northern Ireland (shamrock). Including Oxford shorts in the colours of aviation and socks produced in collaboration with Happy Socks. Although the conceptual reference is the same as for the opening ceremony - the unity, history and cultural richness of the British people - Ben Sherman's choice in this case was for a less London, more casual and certainly not banal look.

With style on the podium

"W Italy": Let's start with the podium jerseys of the Italian delegation, or rather the honours that we will remember fondly and that EA7 has made iconic - once again, for the umpteenth time. The lettering on the chest with "ITALIA" in large letters and the small "W" on the inside is one of the many signs of patriotic pride that Giorgio Armani wanted to engrave on the outfits of this expedition; this also includes the omnipresent tricolour, which can be seen in the bonnet and on the wrists. Our only regret is that we didn't see this uniform more than once. Not because of the medals, which were certainly satisfactory, but because of the unfortunate abundance of fourth places.

Our transalpine neighbours, the French and the Swiss, opted instead to bring more colour to the podium. The hosts with a line of T-shirts, polo shirts, tank tops, tracksuits and sweatshirts by Le Coq Sportif, which picked up on the sophisticated flag tone proposed by Berluti at the opening ceremony. A style that is certainly on trend at these Games, as the Czech Republic's 'podium uniform' shows. "Swiss Team", on the other hand, has opted for a uniform - made by ON - in which the colour explosion of the pulvisculus effect on the chest and shoes stands out. An allusion to the mix of landscapes, languages and cultures that characterise Switzerland.

A great classic that never gets old? The orange of the Dutch, who - unlike in Tokyo three years ago - brought their most recognisable sporting feature to the podium in 2024 and limited the colours of the flag to the wrists, neck and waist. Add to that the FILA touch from the nineties, and if you find someone who doesn't like this outfit, it's not a problem. The vintage-flavoured Albiceleste designed by Le Coq Sportif for the Argentina expedition is on the same wavelength.

In contrast, the athletes from Australia, Thailand and Ecuador made a less "conventional" choice, all inspired by their national colours (green-gold, white-red-blue and yellow-blue respectively), but with particularly creative designs and motifs. You've probably already seen the Australian one in recent weeks, as the Oceanian delegation has collected more than 50 medals. To see the Thais and Ecuadorians on the podium, however, you need to be familiar with disciplines such as wrestling, taekwondo, weightlifting and badminton. An interesting note announced by the Thai manufacturer (Grand Sport): all the jerseys in the Bangkok expedition were made from fabrics derived from recycled plastic bottles.

We stay in Asia for the last four podium jerseys we have selected. The first is that of Uzbekistan, inspired by traditional local architecture, with mosaics and geometries typical of the mosques and madrasas of Tashkent. Then there is the Chinese uniform made by Anta, also inspired by traditional symbolism, as the name 'Dragon Champion Outfit' and the dragon scale pattern suggest, all in elegant white with red details. And finally, the uniforms of North and South Korea: we propose them together, not because they are similar - the first is all white with geometries in the colours of the national flag, the second has a more 'flowing" pattern with a gradient from blue to white - but as a tribute to the historic selfie taken on the podium after the table tennis final. In contrast to the political tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul, this is one of the most meaningful and powerful images of this Olympiad: the right snapshot to leave Paris 2024 behind and begin the countdown that will take us to California in four years' time.