The legendary Maracana stadium hosted the closing ceremony of the XV Paralympic Games.
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It led to Russia setting up an alternative version of the Games, with Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko criticising the IPC at the Opening Ceremony in Moscow earlier this month.
International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven, addressing the event said Rio Paralympics were “uniquely Brazilian and wondrous”, as quoted by the BBC.
Egypt’s sitting volleyball team clenched the country’s final medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, defeating Brazil and claiming the bronze medal.
McFadden has won two golds and four silvers out of her seven events at Rio, after the disappointment of Team USA’s disqualification from the 4x400m relay.
There was also a sense of celebration in Rio following a successful Paralympics that at one stage looked as though it might not even have a closing ceremony. Born without arms, he learned to play the guitar with his feet.
Britain came second with a medal haul of 147 including 64 gold, 39 silver and 44 bronze and Ukraine came third with a medal haul of 117 including 41 gold, 37 silver and 39 bronze.
As a 16-year-old, Firth clinched the 100m backstroke gold for Ireland in London and went on to win three silver medals at the IPC World Championships in Montreal a year later before opting to switch allegiance to Great Britain.
A tribute to the accidentally expired Iranian para-cyclist BahmanGolbarnezhad is given by a minute silence.
A joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding Golbarnezhad’s crash is now being carried out by the IPC, Rio 2016 organisers, local police, medical authorities and the UCI, cycling’s governing body.
Flags have been lowered to half-mast across the Paralympic village since news of Golbarnezhad’s death broke on Saturday. “The best fans on the planet are Cariocas – they are Brazilian!” said Nuzman proudly.
Russian athletes were absent – banned by the International Paralympic Committee for state-sponsored doping – but British athletes could only face the opposition present.
Flagbearers carry their national flags into the Maracana.
Come four years, the Japanese capital will be the first site ever to host the Paralympics for the second time.
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The total easily surpasses the tally from London 2012, when Paralympics GB earned 120 medals.
