However, as was already known even before the Games began, the promise of the Rio Olympics heralding a golden age of a rising Brazil was also not fulfilled. Spectators, athletes and officials had to courageous strong wind and rain to attend the carnival-inspired ceremony. Apart from that, Martinho da Vila, whose tunes make their way into many popular telenovelas mesmerized all those present at the ceremony with his song “Carinhoso” or “Affectionate”.
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Japan and its capital have always been associated with technological innovation and forward-thinking, in keeping with the official slogan of Tokyo 2020, “Discover Tomorrow”.
“These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city”, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach reportedly said. Tokyo then stole the show with their own impressive showcase.
“We are in a hard moment as a country right now, we can’t hide that, but the Games were scheduled and I’m glad we could enjoy them”, said Alessandro Freitas, also from Rio. Problems surrounding economic mishaps, security concerns, the Zika virus and stunted preparation added issues to the games.
In Orlando, the Closing Ceremony was tops with 257,921 total viewers, and the “Rio Gold” recap delivered 184,293.
Greco-Roman wrestling bronze medalist Kim Hyeon-woo was the South Korean flag bearer in the closing ceremony.
UPDATE, 8:31 AM: On the Tube in London there’s a sign saying “Mind The Gap” to warn riders to be careful when stepping on the train – NBC might want to pay attention to the expression when it comes to Olympics ratings.
In fact, last night was down 49% in the demo in early numbers from the fast affiliates of August 14 – which saw Usain Bolt speed to another gold.
The U.S. women and Serbian men’s water polo teams came to the Rio Games as the undisputed favorites to take home the gold, and in the end both teams proved why.
It was a Games where Brazil finally won gold in men’s football before handing over the flag to Tokyo, the host of the next Olympics in 2020. After a 1-1 draw in normal time, and no goals in the extra 30 minutes, Brazil’s Neymar stepped up to score the winning spot-kick and seal a 5-4 shoot-out win after goalkeeper Weverton had saved Germany’s fifth penalty. With 121 medals total, the United States of America finished 51 medals ahead of China, which is the largest margin for any non-boycotted Olympic Games since 1932.
India’s first and only individual Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra was today named Chairman of a five-member review committee to probe the shooters’ Rio Games debacle but has recused himself from questioning them as he was himself a part of the team.
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HOST Brazil, backed by an emotional and enthusiastic local fan base, captured the most Olympic medals in the country’s history but fell far short of the haul that past host nations have brought in.
