London bids grand farewell to Olympic Games

London bids graLONDON: Some of Britain’s greatest singers and celebrities provided a touch of glamour and vibrance as London bid a grand farewell to bring down the curtains on the 30th Olympic Games with a heady mix of music, culture and dazzling fireworks here.

The skyline lit up with breath-taking fireworks and the swanky Olympic stadium was virtually transformed into a jukebox as some of Britain’s biggest pop stars and singers performed in an engrossing ‘after show party’.

At the end of a three-hour ceremony, the Olympic flame was ceremoniously extinguished, marking the end of the 17-day sporting extravaganza which saw many Olympic and world record being re-written and many new heroes emerging.

More than 10,500 athletes from 204 nations took part in the Games staged in this historic city for an unprecedented third time.

US and China predictably emerged as the powerhouses by taking the first and second spots in the medals tally while hosts Britain produced their best-ever show to take the third position. India too had their moments of glory at the Olympic Games as it notched up its best ever medal tally of six.

Similar to the opening ceremony, Britain again showcased its rich music repertoire combined with some stunning visual and lighting effects at the closing ceremony watched by an estimated two billion global audience.

Billed as the biggest ‘after show party’, the Spice Girls appeared atop London’s black taxis singing some of their chart-bursting numbers and there were others such as The Who, George Michael, Muse and Ed Sheeran who enthralled the capacity crowd of 80,000 who thronged the stadium.

The closing ceremony celebrated the achievements of athletes at the Games and also saw London handing over the baton to Rio de Janeiro, which is hosting the 2016 Games.-PTI