Hello and welcome to Sportstar's LIVE coverage of the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
Athletes from more than 200 countries descended in Japan to stake their claim on the 1080 medals that were on offer. The athletes showed guts, determination and perseverance to earn Olympic success and inspired millions with stories of human triumph. After 17 days of witnessing sporting excellence across 33 sports, we have come to the end of Tokyo Olympics.
India finished its campaign on a high with javelin star Neeraj Chopra giving the country its first athletics gold medal. It was a perfect end as India finished with its best-ever medal tally of 1 gold, 2 silver medals and 4 bronze. You can check our full coverage here.
READ: How Neeraj Chopra made Tokyo gold happen before it happened
LIVE:
With a song from young children, the Olympic flame is extinguished. Tokyo finishes with one final flourish of rainbow fireworks and that brings an end to the closing ceremony. We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the Olympic Games this fortnight. Arigato!
- We did it, says Thomas Bach. 'We did it together'. He thanks the Tokyo governor, the officials, the athletes and the volunteers for ensuring the success of Olympics in these challenging times. See you in Paris, he signs off.
- Tokyo organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto pays tribute to those who made the Olympic Games possible and the athletes.
- The action shifts to Paris. The 2024 Olympics host takes the audience through their country and offer a glimpse of what's on offer in the next Olympics. There is even a small video snippet of Thomas Pesquet playing the saxophone on the international spacestation! It fittingly ends with the image of the Paris 2024 flag flying high at the iconic Eiffel Tower and French President Emmanuel Macron welcoming all to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The crowd has gathered with French flags and cheering as the jet draws out the French colours in the next. Merci, Tokyo. Over to Paris now.
The Olympic flag is passed over by the Tokyo governor to the IOC president who then hands it over to representative from Paris which will be hosting the next Games in 2024.
IOC president Thomas Bach and Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike walk on to the stage now. The IOC flag is lowered to the song of a Soprano singer.
Different forms of traditional folk dances and music from Japan are being showcased in all its glory to the world. Canadians and Swedes are spotted trying to imitate the steps and movements.
The athletes nominated for IOC's Athletes' Commission, honour the representatives of more than 70,000 volunteers who helped pull off the Olympics in such trying times.
Pau Gasol, Maja Wloszczowska, Federica Pellegrini and Yuki Ota were voted on to the IOC Athletes' commission by fellow athletes. They are now called on to the stage.
The women's marathon medal ceremony is underway. It's a Nigeria 1-2 from Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei with USA's Molly Seidel taking the bronze. The men's marathon medal ceremony follows and no surprises for guessing, it's Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge taking the gold again. Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and Belgium’s Bashir Abdi complete the podium.
As is the tradition, national anthem of Greece, the birthplace of Olympic Games, is played and the flag unfurled. That's a tradition that has largely remained unchanged at every closing ceremony.
If the opening ceremony was poignant and understated, the closing ceremony is full of life and spirit as Japan shows a slice of their lifestyle and culture. They are all smiles and jumping about, sporting Tokyo street fashion, juggling balls and grooving to peppy music.
Now for the colours: The lights blank out and a luminous wave erupts from the ground followed by a cascading waterfall of lights and ends with the formation of Olympic rings in the sky. It is a beautiful sight!
We have finally spotted the Indian athletes making their way in. Photo sessions, impromptu dances, customary flag photo ops, it truly is a carnival in the stadium.
Our team has curated the best moments from India's most successful campaign at the Tokyo Olympics.
4599 athletes have converged in the stadium to celebrate, all masked up!
Team USA, with 113 medals topped the table in Tokyo. The masks are not enough to hide their glee. That's one big happy bunch making its way into the stadium.
When the opening ceremony began, there were apprehensions, a fear of COVID-19 outbreak, the weight of expectations. No such trepidation as athletes walk out today to the carvinal celebrating human excellence.
The athletes are walking in their sporting their track suits and waving flags. There is a sense of contentment as athletes casually stroll with their compatriots and mingle along with athletes from other countries. Some are sporting their medals around their neck and walking in proudly and most of them have their phones out recording the moments for posterity.
India's Bajrang Punia and the flag-bearers of other NOCs walk into the centre of the stadium and form a ring around a dias.
Our correspondent, Shyam Vasudevan,is at the National Stadium in Tokyo to be our eyes and ears:
- Japan's national flag is brought into the stadium by six eminent personalities from the host nation.
Here is all you need to know about the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics:
Venue:
The closing ceremony will take place at the National Stadium in Tokyo. The opening ceremony was held in the same place.
Time:
The closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics will begin at 4:30 pm IST on Sunday.
Theme:
“Worlds we share”
It will focus on the message of inclusivity, acceptance and togetherness.
Where to watch:
The Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network. It will be available on the SonyLiv app. You can also follow the live text commentary right here.
What we know so far:
There will be no limit on the number of Indian athletes attending the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday but count of the officials has been capped at 10.
India's flag-bearer:
Wrestler Bajrang Punia, who claimed a bronze on Saturday, will be India's flag bearer as announced earlier.
- Note: As per protocols followed by IOA, the medal winners including gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will be made flag bearers in the future multi sporting events including Asian Games and Commonwealth Games next year.
Attendees:
In contrast to the ethnic outfit that athletes wore during the opening ceremony, they will be seen in comfortable track suits. A majority of the hockey and wrestling contingent is expected to attend the ceremony.
India capped off its best-ever performance in the Olympics with a haul of seven medals, including a gold, at Tokyo.
Comments
SHARE