{"id":241671,"date":"2016-08-22T03:09:29","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T03:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=241671"},"modified":"2016-08-22T03:09:29","modified_gmt":"2016-08-22T03:09:29","slug":"rio-olympics-2016-spectacular-closing-ceremony-as-olympic-flag-goes-to-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/08\/rio-olympics-2016-spectacular-closing-ceremony-as-olympic-flag-goes-to-tokyo\/","title":{"rendered":"Rio 2016: Spectacular closing ceremony as Olympic flag goes to Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Rio Olympics ended with a spectacular carnival-inspired closing ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo.<\/p>\n
The colourful ceremony, lasting almost three hours, celebrated Brazil’s arts and was held in a wet Maracana.<\/p>\n
Among the highlights were Tokyo’s impressive showcase and a vibrant carnival parade.<\/p>\n
“These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city,” said International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach.<\/p>\n
“Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for all of us, with its irresistible joy for life.”<\/p>\n
Bach officially closed the Games of the 31st Olympiad after 16 days of competition, featuring 11,303 athletes from 206 nations and a refugee team.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared dressed as computer game character Super Mario, rising out of a huge green pipe in the stadium.<\/p>\n
The ceremony, watched by billions around the world, featured the parade of athletes and a dramatic extinguishing of the Olympic flame.<\/p>\n
Women’s hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh carried the flag for Great Britain, who finished the Games with 67 medals – their highest tally at an overseas Olympics.<\/p>\n
Super-heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce had earlier won Britain’s final medal of Rio 2016 – a silver – as they finished second in the medal table to the United States,\u00a0ahead of China.<\/p>\n