The curtain comes down on the Paris 2024 Olympics. At the Closing Ceremony on the Stade de France track, the Tricolore waved farewell to the French Olympics, in the hands of fencer Rossella Fiamingo, gold medallist in the team épée event alongside her teammates Alberta Santuccio, Giulia Rizzi, and Mara Navarria, and Gregorio Paltrinieri, her partner in life, who won silver and bronze in the 1500m and 800m freestyle respectively and became the first Italian swimmer to secure five Olympic medals (one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes).

Italia Team leaves France with a haul of 40 medals (12 golds, 13 silvers, and 15 bronzes), the same number as the record set in Tokyo three years ago but with two more golds (12 to 10) and three more silvers (13 to 10). The ninth-place finish in the medal table confirms our country’s place among the world's sporting elite (seventh overall in terms of podiums, third in Europe behind Great Britain and host nation France). Since the last four days of Rio 2016, Italy has never been off the Olympic podium. This streak continued in Tokyo and Paris, reaching 36 consecutive days and remains open as we look ahead to the next major target: Los Angeles 2028.

The largest Italian delegation ever (403 athletes, made up of 208 men and 195 women) has underscored the country’s multi-disciplinary depth and competitiveness, with the number of athletes in finals rising from 67 to 79. Italy's Olympic adventure concluded with 20 fourth-place finishes and 27 fifth-place finishes, further reflecting the country’s credibility across all Olympic sporting disciplines.

Never before have women outperformed men like in this Paris edition (7 golds out of 12, with 26 women versus 5 men). It was an Olympic Games of firsts: from the historic gold in women’s volleyball (the first success for an Italian team in 20 years) to the tennis doubles gold won by Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, the Madison cycling gold by Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini, and the gold in artistic gymnastics beam by Alice D’Amato, with Manila Esposito also winning bronze. Among other milestones were the first-ever golds in the women’s team épée and the 100m backstroke with Thomas Ceccon. For the first time, medals were also won in the 10,000m athletics and the individual all-around in rhythmic gymnastics. After 100 years (and De Morpurgo’s bronze in Paris 1924), Italia Team won a medal in the men’s singles tennis thanks to Lorenzo Musetti’s bronze; after 96 years (silver in Amsterdam 1928), a medal was won in the team all-around in women’s artistic gymnastics; after 64 years, a medal was secured in the men’s C2 500m sprint canoeing with Gabriele Casadei and Carlo Tacchini; after 40 years, a medal was won in the men’s long jump with Mattia Furlani’s bronze; after 36 years, a medal was achieved in modern pentathlon with Giorgio Malan’s bronze; after 24 years, a medal was won in the men’s Madison cycling (silver Consonni-Viviani); and finally, after 12 years, Italia Team won medals in the men’s K1 slalom canoeing with Giovanni De Gennaro and in the men’s triple jump with Andy Diaz.

The next appointment is in four years, with the Olympics moving into the Californian sun. The French Olympic torch is extinguished, but the flame remains more alive than ever as it heads towards another great goal: Los Angeles 2028.