It was time to say good bye to the athletes of the world, and the host did it with all the warmth and the best of music, as the stadium was bathed in a riot of colours. The flame was extinguished and the curtains came down on the 30th Olympic Games.
In an entertaining fare that started by presenting the daily life in one of the busiest cities of the world, with its iconic landmarks like the Big Ben, the London Bridge and the London eye, the cars, trucks, bicycles, scooters whizzed on the ramp inside the arena, capturing the essence of every day scenes like people trying to cross the river Thames from the Waterloo Station.
While the 80,000 fans were submerged in the rich collection of pop music and scenes from films of different eras, the athletes savoured the entertainment and the spectacular visuals, combined with a symphony of British music, standing in batches on the different tentacles on the sides of the ramp stage. The bhangra was also part of the celebration much to the delight of the Indian athletes and their supporters.
Dance and music
It was a giant street party and the 70,799 small panels of light pixels mounted between the seats converted the stadium into a colourful canvas of moving frames. There was a lot of dance and music that portrayed Britain’s strength over the years, before the next host Rio presented the samba.
The men’s marathon medal ceremony was conducted as part of tradition, and the Olympic flag changed hands from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson to the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes through the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Dr. Jacques Rogge.
“When our time came – Britain, we did it right,’’ proudly declared the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Sebastian Coe, on the successful conduct of the Games.
“We lit the flame and we lit up the world,’’ he said, calling it the “wonderful Games in the wonderful city’’.
He thanked everyone involved who “turned the buildings into a theatre of sport and drama’ and reiterated that the thousands of volunteers who worked with enthusiasm had earned the right to say, “I made London 2012’’.
IOC president Jacques Rogge congratulated the spectators for providing “the soundtrack for these Games’’ that energised the competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue.
“Concrete improvements in infrastructure will benefit the host nation for years to come. The human legacy will reach every region of the world. Many young people will be inspired to take up a sport or pursue their dreams,’’ he said, before declaring the Games closed, with a call to the youth of the world to assemble four years later in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the next Olympics.
Good bye London!
