The ceremony, lasting nearly three hours, celebrated the arts of Brazil and a 12-minute showcase of Tokyo.
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There prevailed a wrenching feeling of sadness when International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach officially declared the Games closed.
Brazilians could nevertheless take heart in the fact that there were no major mishaps or breaches after deadly attacks in Europe and the USA had prompted the biggest security operation in Brazil’s history with 85,000 troops.
While the Brazilian show highlighted the country’s ancient indigenous cultures and its colonial history through riveting song and dance, 2020 host city Tokyo staged a surprisingly amusing high-tech show that ended with a bang.
The Olympic flame was extinguished as singer-actress Mariene Castro crooned the evergreen melody “Pelo tempo que durar”, that spoke of “the time we have left”, and narrated the impermanence of life and nature’s constant change.
Rain drenched performers and hundreds of athletes as they entered the party, many with medals hanging around their necks, like the US men’s basketball team which won gold on Sunday. They finished with 46 Gold followed by Great Britain on second spot with 27 Gold and China on third, with a tally of 26 Gold.
For India, the first female wrestling medalist, Sakshi Malik carried the Flag into the stadium.
The closing ceremony began with a connect to the opening show of August 5 by again celebrating the spirit of Brazilian aviator Santos Dumont, as the countdown to the party began courtesy a wristwatch.
One of the more stunning moments of the ceremony focused on the ancient art found in the Serra da Capivara National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage site in northeastern Brazil featuring cave paintings, some more than 25,000 years old.
Mariene de Castro performs during the closing ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Rio.
Rio won the right to host the Games in 2009, when the economy was booming and millions were pushing into the middle class.
The night before NBC’s broadcast of the closing ceremony, a freshly un-blonded Lochte appeared on the network to tell NBC News’ Matt Lauer that he takes “full responsibility” for “over-exaggerating” his early-morning incident outside a Rio gas station last Sunday.
The spotlight would henceforth shift to the Japanese capital, but Rio would forever be remembered for sporting excellence.
In a remarkable spectacle, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, dressed as Nintendo’s Super Mario, emerged from a pipe to invite the world to the next Olympics. Representing our country on the biggest stage that you can be on.
Along with Phelps and Biles, America’s top athletes included swimmer Katie Ledecky, who took home four gold and one silver medal, and Simone Manuel, the first African-American woman swimmer to win gold medals.
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Bye bye Rio 2016.
