Yet, behind the scenes, these were also troubled Olympics that fell short in other areas ” empty seats, ticket fiascos, organizational mishaps, spread-out venues, green water, street crime, traffic chaos and lack of a clear Olympic feel in the parks.
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Soccer-crazed Brazil got partial payback against Germany, winning gold two years after a 7-1 World Cup semifinal shellacking that left many in Latin America’s largest nation fuming. And with some help from fellow Final Five teammate Laurie Hernandez, the five-time Olympic medalist showed off her freshly ironed Ralph Lauren uniform for the ceremony.
The athletes poured into the stadium, under the rain, waving their fflags, shaking their body to the samba and clicking selfies.
The Rio Olympics ended in a blaze of colour with an exuberant closing ceremony on Sunday as Tokyo took up the baton promising to host the best Games yet in 2020. “We just hope they do not forget to charge them before the ceremony”.
Like most Olympics, Rio too had its glitches and controversies but on Sunday, Brazil could go to sleep content that it had pulled off the games quite spectacularly. The ceremony concluded with massive and outstanding firework show with confetti.
The 10-strong refugee team that competed under the Olympic flag were welcomed to the Games Village in classic Brazilian style: warmly and with plenty of music and dancing.
The athletes were cheered to the rafters while Brazil’s diversity and natural beauty were celebrated in style.
From swimmer Adam Peaty’s gold on the closing Saturday on day three to Mo Farah’s long distance’ double ‘, this was the most successful Games in 108 years of Britain.
Usain Bolt finished off his triple-triple – three Olympics, three sprint golds in each – for Jamaica, in what he said was his last games.
It is also worth mentioning that Cameroon won its first Olympic medal in 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, its second in 1984 in Los Angeles, a third in 2000 in Sydney, then 2004 in Athens and finally in 2008 in Beijing.
But at times it was hard to focus on the sporting triumphs taking place across the sprawling city.
Tourists from America lead the list of numbers of foreign visitors at the Games at 21.2 per cent, followed by Argentinians 14.8 per cent and Britons 4.8 per cent.
But Lochte’s story quickly unraveled, enraging Brazilians and Americans alike.
The winning campaign extended Team USA’s reign atop the overall medal chart to six straight Games, dating back to 1996.
“Rio is known for its love of parties and carnivals and wearable tech is becoming more popular, so we thought the most fun and patriotic way to use this in the outfits is through lights”.
As the ceremony proceeded, the many Olympic teams paraded throughout the Maracana to the joy of the crowd, with the flag bearers leading the way.
Rio won the right to host the Games in 2009, when the economy was booming and millions were pushing into the middle class.
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We werent sure we were going to have that kind of success coming in, said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun, noting the track and swimming teams had plenty of first-time Olympians. There was a tribute to cave paintings of some of the first inhabitants of the Americas, in Serra da Capivara, in Northeastern Brazil, today one of the nation’s poorest regions. Many Rio residents could not afford tickets to events, leaving them feeling on the sidelines of the city’s biggest undertaking. The economy is mired in its worst recession in decades, and later this week the Senate is expected to begin the trial on whether to permanently remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached in May for breaking fiscal rules in her managing of the federal budget.
