The vaulting ambition of the Paris Olympics made them risky and hard to police, but French security forces kept thousands of athletes and millions of fans safe -- a "gold medal" performance according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

The stands have fallen quiet and the Athletes' Village is emptying. What happens to all the equipment now the 2024 Paris Olympics are over? Organisers have plans for it.

Paris prepared to bid a triumphant "au revoir" to the Olympics on Sunday as the curtain came down on its widely praised staging of the global sporting spectacular.

The United States pipped China for top spot in the battle of medals on Sunday as Paris prepared to bring the curtain down on one of the most successful Olympic Games in history.

Jamaica were in third spot after the opening leg, but Andrenette Knight dropped the baton after bumping Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke on the second leg.

The USA's dream team of NBA superstars held off France 98-87 to take their tally of men's Olympic basketball golds to 17.

China claimed their fifth gold from five competitions at the Games.

China completed a historic clean sweep of all eight Olympic diving gold medals after Cao Yuan won the men's 10m platform final in Paris on Saturday.

World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe believes the dominance of American athletes in Paris can bring the sport out of the shadows in the United States as the country builds towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge was hoping for a dream finale to his career at the age of 39 but ended up handing over his running shoes to a fan.

Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola won gold in the men's marathon at the Paris Games on Saturday while Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who had been bidding for an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic crown, failed to finish.

"It's Algeria's victory," her father, Omar Khelif, told reporters as he watched the fight on a giant screen along with the rest of the village around 300 kilometres (185 miles) southwest of Algiers.

Yusuf Dikec may have an Olympic medal and a legion of adoring online fans, but the Turkish pistol sharpshooter is aiming to keep his feet on the ground.

Afghan B-Girl Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team at the Paris Games, was disqualified after displaying the words "Free Afghan Women" on her cape during her breaking routine in the competition's pre-qualifiers on Friday.

The penultimate day of the Paris Olympics on Saturday will have nearly 40 medals up for grabs, with nine finals in athletics alone.

The Netherlands completed a remarkable double in Olympic hockey on Friday when their women's team, the defending champions, beat China 3-1 in a shootout to take gold just 24 hours after the men's side had triumphed over Germany.

France coach Thierry Henry described his team's Olympic performance as "magical" despite their agonising extra-time defeat against Spain in the men's football final on Friday.

Victory at the Paris Olympics has "a special taste", said Algeria's Imane Khelif after winning boxing gold on Friday, following two weeks of speculation over her eligibility amid a gender dispute that has engulfed the Games.

 Spain secured the gold medal in the Olympic men's football tournament after substitute Sergio Camello scored twice in extra time to earn a dramatic 5-3 win over hosts France in a nail-biting final at Parc des Princes on Friday.

Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam became the first woman in history to win three consecutive Olympic heptathlon crowns on Friday, sealing victory ahead of Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson.