Brazil and the world bid farewell Sunday to the first Olympic Games in South America, a 16-day spectacle that combined numerous highlight reel moments with ugly and even weird episodes that sometimes overshadowed the competitions.
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During the gathering, Olympic Orders in gold were awarded to Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, and Eduardo Paes, Mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, while Rio 2016 Chief Executive Officer Sidney Levy received the Olympic Order in silver. Brazil also is in political crisis, with unpopular acting President Michel Temer not attending the closing ceremony after being booed at the opening.
Now the world’s attention turns to Tokyo in 2020, and organizers got off to a flying start with a show-stealing cosplay turn by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sunday’s closing ceremony.
The Olympic Games Rio 2016 have seen thousands of athletes inspiring the world with their exceptional performances, new Olympic and world records set, personal bests, moments of outstanding sportsmanship and great emotions at wonderful sporting venues.
The athlete, who had said the feat would make him “immortal”, was matter-of-fact about his 12 years of Olympic dominance.
The U.S. men’s basketball team had no problem winning gold, defeating Serbia 96-66 in the gold-medal game, but looked vulnerable at times, whereas the women’s team continued to be an unstoppable force in the Summer Olympics.
The country celebrated long and loud when Neymar won the penalty shoot-out against Germany to erase memories of their 7-1 World Cup semi-final humiliation in 2014. However, without female athletes like Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Manuel, who won five, five, and four medals respectively, the big win wouldn’t have been possible.
Mo Farah attracted calls for a knighthood after defending his Olympic titles in the men’s 5000m and 10,000m.
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Russian Federation – with around half their team, including the track and field stars, banished from Rio following doping revelations – finished fourth with 19 golds. The U.S. won their sixth consecutive gold medal in the 4×400 relay beating out Jamacia and Great Britain. And American swimming standout Ryan Lochte and three teammates caused outrage when they falsely claimed they had been robbed at gunpoint in Rio by muggers disguised as police. Then the Games’ volunteers were recognized for their work during the Olympics.
