Olympics viewers have just worked out incredible meaning behind closing ceremony stage design

Viewers of the Olympics closing ceremony think that they've worked out the meaning of the stage design at the Stade de France.

The Paris Olympics are coming to a close, with the country waving farewell to its visiting athletes and sports fans.

However, some viewers were left a bit confused over the stage design on social media.

There were suggestions of a 'cat' or 'slices of pie', but viewers finally realised what it was.

On X, one user asked: "Is this stage designed loosely like a world map?"

A second said: "Took me a good 15 minutes to work out that stage is the world map."

Another realised: "'OH! It's a map!' the entire living room says at the same time after debating if it was a horse, chess pieces, a Star Trek Diorama or slices of pie competing in the fencing."

A fourth shared: "Just realised that the central stage is the world map, not a geometric cat."

That's right, from a birds-eye view, the stage looks like a weirdly jagged map of the world - it's the thought that counts, eh?

So far at the opening ceremony, we've also seen athletes repeatedly trip over a carpet that athletes should really have been alerted of, which entertained viewers.

One user shared: "Someone needs to put a health and safety warning on the carpet"

Another said: "Obsessed with everyone tripping over at the #closingceremony"

Someone else posted: "I've counted at least 3 people tripping up now at this closing ceremony.

BBC viewers have also been deeply entranced by the banter that Andrew Cotter has been serving up, with many sharing their appreciation online.

If you don't know what I'm on about, on user on X shared an exchange between David and co-commentator, Hazel.

The user posted: "Amazing commentary by Andrew Cotter and Hazel Irvine as everyone is forced to do karaoke.

"Andrew: 'You can read those lyrics on the screen can’t you Hazel.'

"Hazel: 'My eyes don’t seem to be working.'

"Andrew: 'the words are la la la la la. Or in French, the the the the.'"

Generational humour.

Top 10 performing Olympic nations

1. USA - 126 medals (40 gold)
2. China - 91 medals (40 gold)
3. Japan - 45 medals (20 gold)
4. Australia - 53 medals (18 gold)
5. France - 64 medals (16 gold)
6. Netherlands - 34 medals (15 gold)
7. Great Britain - 65 medals (14 gold)
8. South Korea - 32 medals (13 gold)
9. Italy - 40 medals (12 gold)
10. Germany - 33 medals (12 gold)

Olympics 2024 highlights - headlines from the games

Anthony Ammirati's penis costs him his medal

The 21-year-old French pole vaulter attempted to clear the 5.70 metres on 3 August when his knee - along with his private parts - got in the way, shattering his Olympic dreams.

Iconic shooter Yusuf Dikec wins silver medal with 'no equipment'

Turkey's Yusuf Dikec took a laid back approach when he was spotted looking incredibly relaxed with one hand in his pocket and without any shooting gear on.

It all paid off though as he took home the silver along with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.

Noah Lyles' 100m victory

Setting a new personal best, Lyles came out on top at the finish line by a margin of just 0.005 seconds, with a final time of 9.784.

The final also marked the fastest race of all time, with all eight athletes crossing the finish line in under 10 seconds.

George Mills and Hugo Hay's 5000m bust up

Chaos erupted when a total of five athletes found themselves face down on the track after an incident left several runners stumbling on top of each other, including Team GB's George Mills and French runner Hugo Hay.

Mills looked as though he had some harsh words for Hay after the tumble which he admitted he was 'probably not allowed to say'.

Snoop Dogg in general

Snoop went viral after he rocked up to the dressage team Grand Prix Special fully kitted out in breeches, a dressage tailcoat and hard hat alongside pal Martha Stewart. Iconic.

Ana Carolina Vieira gets sent home for breaking athletes' village rules with boyfriend

Ana Carolina Vieira was sent home after she and her boyfriend Gabriel Santos - also a swimmer competing in the Olympics - left the village without permission, which is against the Olympic Village rules.

Team GB star becomes first ever Olympian to win medal in both male and female events

Coxswain Henry Fieldman made history when he won bronze at the women's crews event off the back of his bronze win in Tokyo on the men's team.

Fieldman was able to achieve the feat because of a rule change back in 2017 that allows coxes of either gender to steer the eights.

The River Seine drama

While Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk vomited after swimming in the river, Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen admitted she 'felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much'.

It came after health concerns were raised over the pollution levels in the river, with the country splashing out a cool £1.18 billion on cleaning it up in time for the games.

Freddie Crittenden jogs for entire race on purpose

The Team USA star purposely put on a leisurely performance in his first heat of the Men's 110m hurdles and ended up being the last one to make it across the finish line with a time of 18.27 seconds.

The athlete said it was a calculated move to avoid aggravating a sore muscle in his leg and due to the introduction of repechage rounds, he knew that he'd have another chance at glory.

'Slow pool' accusations

The pool at the Paris La Défense Arena is 2.15 metres deep which is short of the minimum of 2.5 metres that World Aquatics recommends for an Olympic competition, prompting backlash from viewers.

As a result of the difference in depth, an issue called 'slow' swimming is created where the water is more volatile when dispersed than in a deeper pool.

Imane Khelif's opponent quits boxing match 46 seconds in

The Algerian boxer faced Italy's Angela Carini in the round of 16 match on 1 August when Carini - who has since apologised - decided to abandon the match after 46 seconds.

Khelif - who was born and raised a girl - was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi amid claims from the International Boxing Association that she was not able to meet their unspecified eligibility criteria.

Khelif has since been at the centre of a gender row, and has urged people to 'refrain from bullying all athletes' amid abuse online.

Luana Alonso 'kicked out' of Olympic Village

The Paraguayan swimmer was said to have been asked to leave the village amid accusations of creating an 'inappropriate environment', according to a statement from her team.

Alonso - who also announced her retirement from the sport - has since denied the claims and urged people to 'stop spreading false information'.

Gold medal winner Thomas Ceccon spotted sleeping in park amid village complaints

The athlete, who won gold in the men's 100m backstroke, was spotted taking a nap outside by Saudi rower Husein Alireza who posted it to his Instagram account, tagging the spot as a location within the official Olympic Village.

Speaking about his accommodation, Ceccon said: "It's hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon. Usually, when I'm at home, I always sleep in the afternoon. Here I really struggle between the heat and the noise."