The closing ceremony of the Olympics was held yesterday at the Tokyo Olympic stadium, Tokyo, Japan before an audience of mostly empty seats. It’s Japan’s fourth Olympics, since 1964 (57 years). As the event commenced, an athlete from each country participated, marching with their flags as the event began. The traditional taiko drum filled the air signaling the start of the celebration of Japan’s unique and vibrant culture.
Despite the pandemic hitting very hard, Japan made a great effort to pull up a great show. Although seen by a select few, the two weeks of Olympic action was watched by millions of people around the world. NPR reports that, “The ceremony celebrated the athletes, the volunteers and the organizers of the postponed Tokyo Games, which involved about 230,000 people, including more than 41,000 people who traveled from abroad”.
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Themed “Worlds We Share”, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee said he feared that the Olympics could “become the Olympic Games without a soul,” but realized that it turned out to be totally different.” He noted that this was the first time the world came together since the pandemic began. In his address he lauded the athletes; “You were faster, you went higher, you were stronger because we all stood together — in solidarity,” he said.
Bringing the event to a close, Bach told the Olympians, “This was even more remarkable given the many challenges you had to face because of the pandemic. In these difficult times, you give the world the most precious of gifts: hope.” The event ended with the word “arigato,” which is Japanese for “thank you,” displayed on a giant screen as the athletes strolled off the field.
The United States of America topped the Olympics Gold Medalist table with 133 medals (39 Gold, 41 Silver and 33 Bronze), china came second, with 88 medals (38 Gold, 32 Silver, 18 Bronze) while Russia came third with 71 medals (20 Gold, 28 Silver, 23 Bronze)
