There was a sense of pride.
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While South America’s first Olympics are over, safely and with a grandiose finale, many problems remain. There were strong winds and sporadic rains at the Maracana Stadium.
Swathes of empty seats caused disquiet but the Games also witnessed the last hurrahs of both Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, who both lived up to their billing. The Olympic flame was extinguished and ends it with confetti and fireworks show. It was one big bash.
Singer Lenine performs during the closing ceremony. The theme, “Brazilians can do with their bare hands”, was a nod to the emerging economy of the world’s fifth most populous nation.
Figures dressed as multi-coloured macaws flew over Rio’s world-famous landmarks, Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, before forming the five Olympic rings to start off the show.
Samba legend Martinho da Vila, whose tunes make their way into many popular telenovelas, sang “Carinhoso”, or “Affectionate”.
The service, watched by billions all over the world, featured a sensational extinguishing of the Olympic fire and the parade of athletes.
Athletes parade during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 21, 2016. However, this version of the closing ceremony may best be remembered for the down-pouring rain and the the “Heroes of the Games” segment being slowed down by the presence of Simone Biles.
The US were dominant in athletics, winning 31 medals (13 of which were gold) – 20 more than second-placed Jamaica, who won six golds. Steeplechaser Lalita Babar also made the country proud by becoming the first Indian athlete in 32 years to enter the Finals of an individual event of the Games in track category. Bach draped gold around the neck of Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, victor of the men’s marathon earlier in the day.
And then there was the arrest of 71-year-old International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Pat Hickey in a dawn raid, as part of a Brazilian police investigation into ticket touting.
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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The closing ceremony Sunday celebrated the 16-day spectacle that was the Rio Games, which combined numerous highlights with ugly and even freakish episodes that sometimes overshadowed competition.
