Categories: Sports

Rio Olympics 2016: Closing Ceremony Turns Maracana into Street Carnival

The Rio Olympics closed with a spectacular carnival-inspired ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo.

The Maracana stadium was turned into a street carnival as the ceremony celebrated Brazil’s art, music and dance.

The colorful ceremony lasted almost three hours.

The highlights included human formations of iconic Rio landmarks Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.

The Olympic flame was extinguished by a rain shower, which then gave life to a large tree sculpture to symbolize rebirth.

The ceremony featured the symbolic handover of the Olympic flag. Rio mayor Eduardo Paes returned it to IOC President Thomas Bach, before it was passed to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.

IOC President Thomas 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.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe appeared dressed as computer game character Super Mario, rising out of a huge green pipe in the stadium.

The closing ceremony, watched by billions around the world, featured the parade of athletes and concluded with a confetti and firework show.

Clyde K. Valle

Clyde is a business graduate interested in writing about latest news in politics and business. He enjoys writing and is about to publish his first book. He’s a pet lover and likes to spend time with family. When the time allows he likes to go fishing waiting for the muse to come.

Recent Posts

House Panel Votes to Release Matt Gaetz Ethics Report

The US House Ethics Committee has voted to release its report on former Republican Representative…

4 days ago

ABC News to Pay $15M to Settle Trump Defamation Suit

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump to settle a…

1 week ago

South Korea’s Parliament Impeaches President Yoon Suk Yeol Following Martial Law Scandal

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt…

1 week ago

Syria: Israeli War Planes Carry Out More Than 100 Air Strikes

Israeli war planes have carried out more than 100 air strikes in Syria on December…

2 weeks ago

Donald Trump Threatens 100% Tariff on BRICS Nations

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on the BRICS countries if they…

3 weeks ago

Syria Coup: Rebels Take Control of Aleppo

Syrian troops have withdrawn from the city of Aleppo following an offensive by rebels opposed…

3 weeks ago