WorldSkills Lyon 2024 reaches its finale in a spectacular celebration tonight

As WorldSkills Lyon 2024 wraps, the WorldSkills community is getting ready for a breathtaking Closing Ceremony that promises to be as extraordinary as the skills on display during the Competition. During the evening, 1,400 young Champions from almost 70 countries and regions will be recognized for their incredible achievements.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 has chosen to host the Closing Ceremony at the renowned OL Stadium. Home to Olympique Lyonnais football club, it has been the setting for historic sports finals and unmissable music tours, including Taylor Swift’s recent record-breaking Eras tour. The scale of OL Stadium allows for a larger audience and symbolically elevates skills to the same stage as world-class sports and entertainment.

The stadium will host WorldSkills Competitors, Experts, Members, and Partners, joined by supporters, friends and families, international press, and government ministers from around the world. The entire ceremony will also be live streamed to audiences around the world.

At the heart of the evening is the awards giving. Gold, silver, and bronze medals, as well as Medallions for Excellence, will be awarded for each skill competition, while the Best of Nation awards will spotlight top performers from each participating country or region.

The prestigious Albert Vidal Award – named after the founder of the WorldSkills movement – will be given to the Champion with the highest overall score across all skills. Every medal presentation will be projected onto the stadium’s giant screens, so everyone can see what these Champions have achieved.

During the night, there will an opportunity for WorldSkills Champions to think about the next steps in their journey, as they are encouraged to join the next WorldSkills Champions Trust. This group of ambassadors represent the youth of the WorldSkills movement and add their voices, ideas, and opinions to discussions about the future of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Mihle Mvelakubi, WorldSkills Champions Trust representative for Africa, helped open WorldSkills Lyon 2024 earlier this week. Excited for tonight’s Ceremony, he encourages all Champions to think of the Closing Ceremony as the beginning of a new journey, saying, “WorldSkills is an opportunity of a lifetime. Embrace a growth mindset and use it to keep expanding your knowledge and skills.” 

The evening will close with the traditional handover of the WorldSkills flag by the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 Organizer to representatives from WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 and WorldSkills China, symbolizing the continuity of the WorldSkills mission. The audience will enjoy a preview film to get a glimpse of the city and a taste of some of the delights in store for the 48th WorldSkills Competition.

Join in the celebrations and watch the full Closing Ceremony live this evening.