Closing Ceremony Rio 2016: Highlights, Flag Bearers and More

The lights (briefly) went out, the rain came down and athletes from all around the world said goodbye to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio on Sunday.

Much as it was for the opening ceremony, Brazil's Maracana Stadium lit up beautifully as those still at these Games bid adieu and passed things off to Tokyo for 2020. The Olympics' Twitter feed posted some of the best moments from inside the stadium:

While the opening ceremony understandably respects the past, the closing ceremony has a distinct focus on the present and future.

Nowhere is that more apparent than the flag bearers, which in many cases went from a past great to a medal winner—or even switched hands from one champion to another. The latter was the case for the United States, with Michael Phelps ceding his flag-bearing to gymnastics darling Simone Biles. 

"One of my biggest worries is like, I'm afraid the flag is going to be too heavy for me because Michael Phelps is so much taller and he seemed to carry it so easily and I'm very short," Biles said before the ceremony, per Bill Chappell of NPR. "So I'm a little worried about that part, but I think they'll guide me through it."

Luckily for Biles, she had no issues despite the comical difference. Good Morning America noted the size disparity:

British field hockey player Kate Richardson-Walsh and 16-year-old Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak were among the other notable bearers. A full list of flag bearers, which were named Saturday, can be found at the Olympics' official website.

"This entire experience is a dream come true," Oleksiak said, per Jonathan Rumley of CBC Sports. "I never expected any of this, and now I've been given this honor of carrying the Canadian flag into the closing ceremony. I've never been more proud to be a Canadian."

TSN Sports makes a pretty good point:

Still, the general purpose of a closing ceremony is to close off one Games and build anticipation for the next.

And boy did Japan ever deliver.

As the Rio Games were drawing to a close for a video presentation of what's to come four years from now in Tokyo, Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe appeared. Out of a sewer pipe. Dressed as Super Mario.

Seriously:

If that's any indication of the type of pageantry we're going to get in 2020, Japan is going to make for one excellent Olympic host. The presentation continued with an incredible display, which was highlighted by the Olympic Twitter feed:

Overall, though, Brazil deserves some credit for its Games going relatively well despite the constant barrage of complaints and concerns coming in. The glitches were few and far between and relatively minor. The biggest controversy of the trip wound up being a fabrication, one that leaves Ryan Lochte disgraced in many circles and facing a stiff punishment from the USOC.

Even the brief power outage that took place during the closing ceremony was the cause of weather—not infrastructural failure. 

The Brazil Olympics were, in essence, an Olympics. Nothing more, nothing less. There were spectacular performances, disappointing failures, legends born, legends damaged. Here's to doing it all over again four years from now.