Tom Cruise boosts US swim team's morale as he cheers for them during surprise visit at Paris Olympics

PARIS, FRANCE: Tom Cruise is making the most of his time in Europe by appearing at concerts, premieres and tournaments. This time, he was seen cheering for the USA at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The 62-year-old actor appeared extremely animated as he cheered for the American team in the women's freestyle relay swimming. 

The ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ actor clapped, punched the air and beamed as he cheered for his home country’s team at the Olympics.

Tom Cruise was in attendance to support Team USA

The ‘Mission: Impossible’ star, who was cheering for Team USA, dressed casually for the sporting event as he paired a black button-down shirt with a pair of black trousers. 

As the national anthem was played, he stood up respectfully and showed his patriotic fervor, per Daily Mail.

He was spotted grinning ear to ear as the US women’s team took home the silver medal in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay. The Australian team, on the other hand, bagged the gold medal in the race. 

Cruise, however, has more reasons to celebrate as it was not only the national success that he should be proud of but also his personal success. Just a day before he attended the first-day event at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, in Nanterre, France, he was inducted Knight of the Legion of Honor by France‘s culture minister Rachida Dati in Paris, per Variety. 

Upon receiving the prestigious honor, he joined the ranks of other luminaries in the film industry like Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese who have also been awarded the Legion of Honor. 

The actor has been staying mostly in Europe over the past few months as he is wrapping up the filming and production of his eighth film in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise which is expected to hit theaters on May 23, 2025. 

The Hollywood icon seems to be enjoying his time in Europe as he recently attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Wembley Stadium in London and the Glastonbury Festival last month. 

In July, he was also present at the premiere of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ co-star Glen Powell’s film ‘Twisters’, and attended the Wimbledon.

Tom Cruise's Olympics attendance had netizens talking

Tom Cruise's attendance at the sporting extravaganza seemingly left the internet in splits. While a segment of fans observed that the actor appeared to be enjoying his life in Europe, another group of fans seemed to take issue with him attending solo. 

One of the readers commented online, "Tom seems to be living a much freer life in Europe these days. It’s nice to see."

Someone else said, while also mentioning Taylor Swift's NFL star boyfriend, "He seems to be a man about town. Nice to see someone with enough self esteem where he can show up to events alone and have a good time. Travis Kelce should take note along with quite a few others. Always curious what he'd look like grey if he quit dying his hair."

"Surprised he isn't supporting GB. I'm fact I'm surprised he didn't parachute into a stadium with a Union Jack parachute. Odd fellow," commented someone else pointing out Cruise's love for Great Britain.

Another netizen noted, "I think he’s a very insecure man. Constantly making movies, doing his own stunts. While I applaud him for being so active, IMO I think it’s a mask to protect his own personal struggles."

"Weird how he always seems to show up at events alone," commented someone else.

Another fan, however, defended the actor, saying, "Tom likes to go out as a single man."

"So disgusting. You can cheer for the Olympics. Which are mostly kids. But you can be there for your child. Yeah that makes sense," criticized another. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.