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Rio de Janeiro celebrates athletic feats with Brazilian music as Olympic Games end

August 22, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 21 (Yonhap) — The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics drew to a conclusion Sunday with a closing ceremony celebrating great athletic feats with Brazilian music.

At the iconic Maracana Stadium, the Olympic Flame was extinguished and Rio de Janeiro handed over the Olympic Flag to Tokyo, host of the next Summer Games in 2020, as the Brazilian city wrapped up the first Olympics in South America.

The show’s creative minds ended the Games by paying tribute to the host city and the musical talent of its people.

Records were broken and tears were shed by 11,000 athletes from 206 countries. Rio also provided the stage for the first team of Refugee Olympic Athletes.

There were 306 gold medals at stake in 28 sports across 42 disciplines.

South Korea was represented by 333 athletes and officials in 24 of 28 sports. It captured nine golds, three silvers and three bronzes to end in eighth place.

Fireworks at Maracana Stadium kick off the closing ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 21, 2016.

The stated goal was to grab at least 10 golds and finish among the top 10 in the medal race.

The athletes from the 206 countries and the Refugee Team entered the stadium together, in what the organizers said was “a clear message of communion and fellowship.”

Greco-Roman wrestling bronze medalist Kim Hyeon-woo was the South Korean flag bearer in the closing ceremony.

A video featuring highlights of the Rio Olympics was played on the stadium’s screens, before the men’s marathon medal ceremony. The four newly elected members to the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission, including former South Korean table tennis gold medalist Ryu Seung-min, and were introduced. Then the Games’ volunteers were recognized for their work during the Olympics.

The United States topped the medal table for the second straight Olympics with 46 gold medals and 121 overall. The United States won both the first and the last gold medals of Rio — Virginia Thrasher won the women’s 10m rifle shooting event on Aug. 6, and the U.S. men’s basketball team, featuring NBA All-Stars, blew out Serbia 96-66 Sunday for the gold.

Host Brazil captured seven gold medals and 19 overall to finish in 13th place.