Performing your country’s national anthem at the closing ceremony is a distinguished honor. But for France’s Thomas Pesquet, it was even more special.
Pesquet, an astronaut currently in outer space, helped perform the song on his saxophone from the International Space Station as a symbol of the Olympics’ universality.
It was the first time the national anthem of the future host country was played in film format, as it concluded with an incredible image of Pesquet playing the saxophone in zero gravity, overlooking Tokyo.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Pesquet and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide even held their own passing of the torch from the spacecraft.
Paris’ film of its national anthem was designed to give viewers a tour of the city. Each musician played sections of the song from iconic Paris landmarks — including the roof of the Stade de France, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum and the skatepark on Square Diderot in Saint-Denis — before finishing the video in outer space.