BYE BYE LONDON… WELCOME RIO

The London 2012 Olympics have ended with a spectacular musical closing ceremony and the official handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro. The three-hour show featured some of the biggest names of British pop from decades past, including the Spice Girls, George Michael and Elbow. Games chief Lord Coe said: “When our time came – Britain, we did it right.”

The official Games flag was handed to the mayor of Rio before the flame at the Olympic Stadium was extinguished.

President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, who declared the Games of the 30th Olympiad closed just before midnight, said: “We will never forget the smiles, the kindness and the support of the wonderful volunteers, the much-needed heroes of these Games.

“You, the spectators and the public, provided the soundtrack for these Games. “Your enthusiastic cheers energised its competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue.”Best of British.

At the close of the ceremony, watched in the stadium by the 10,000 athletes and 80,000 spectators, the flame was extinguished in dramatic fashion. Each nation will receive one of the cauldron’s 204 petals.

As fireworks went off above the east London stadium, the Who performed My Generation and the venue became a sea of red, white and blue confetti. The finale, which began with Big Ben chiming, paid tribute to UK music, fashion and culture. Prince Harry represented the Queen at the ceremony, which took place on top of a stage in the shape of a union jack and saw a volunteer cast of 3,500.

The show saw the Spice Girls re-form to sing Spice Up Your Life from the top of five London taxis, and a surprise performance from Take That, who sang their hit Rule the World.

Artistic Director Kim Gavin also brought together household names, including George Michael, Jessie J, Emeli Sande, Madness, the Pet Shop Boys, One Direction, Ray Davies and Liam Gallagher, as the best of British music went on show to the world.

During the ceremonial part of the show, the Olympic flag was waved aloft by London Mayor Boris Johnson and passed by Mr Rogge into the hands of the Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes.

Brazilian football legend Pele, the man widely regarded as the best football player of all time, made a surprise appearance at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony as he helped Rio de Janeiro take on the mantle as the next host city of the Olympic Games at Olympic Park.

The artistic segment titled ‘Embrace’ was the brainchild of creative directors Cao Hamburger and Daniela Thomas. Dancing at the Rio Carnival every year, was joined on stage by popular Brazilian singer Marisa Monte, rapper BNegao, actor Seu Jorge and model Alessandra Ambrosio.

Brazilian dancers also took to the centre of the arena for a colourful segment that celebrated Rio’s mix of cultures, music and dance, bringing a carnival atmosphere to the proceedings. But the highlight came as an unidentified man walked onto the stage, removing his hat and taking off his coat to reveal the unmistakable yellow number 10 shirt of the Brazilian football team that made Pele one of the most iconic sportsmen in sport. Pele hugged Sorriso as a giant inflatable of the Rio 2016 Olympic logo unfolded on the centre stage.

“It is a very proud and significant moment to receive the Olympic flag for the next Olympic Games,” said Rio de Janeiro 2016 President Carlos Arthur Nuzman. “We wanted to give the world a taster of what to expect for 2016 with our segment within the closing ceremony,” he added. “We have been very impressed by the London 2012 Olympic Games and we will be returning to Rio de Janeiro with many valuable insights from our time here in London and we look forward to welcoming the world to our city in four years’ time,” he concluded.

The infrastructure for the preparation of the Games is really impressive. There will be more than 100,000 people involved directly in the organization of the Games, including 70,000 volunteers. Millions in the city, in the country and in the continent will be reached by the games. More than 10,500 athletes of about 205 nations around the world are expected to come to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, besides thousands of media professional, fans of sport and tourists from all over the globe.

In order to receive all the guests, Rio will pass through a transformation without ever losing the Carioca spirit and the Brazilian energy that uplift everyone.

Rio´s emblem means passion that unifies all Brazilians in organising the Rio 2016 .Transformation in the pride of creating a new realityfor progress.

Passion through sports, reflected in the drive and desire for achievement. The passion of the Carioca soul that extends a warm and friendly embrace, ina collective gesture that expresses our contagious celebratory nature.

Passion and transformation of a city and an entire country, fuelled by therenovation of the Olympic and Paralympic spirit, projecting Brazil andRio de Janeiro to the world.

Passion and transformation of our planet and its people, by promoting a moreinterdependent, conscious and sustainable culture, as an inspiration tothe present and a legacy for the future.