Glorious Games end; 'Samba'-lympics next

LONDON – The Spice Girls, George Michael, the Beatles and a large collection of London’s other great performers past and present gave departing guests and the whole of host Britain the grandest, most extravagant send-off and street party ever Sunday night in a riotous end to the London Olympics.

Amid the glare of fireworks and the thunder of drums, the ringing of a thousand clocks and the sound of music, athletes from 204 countries joined hands to celebrate the friendship of nations and the triumph of man in another happy ending to the quadrennial meet.

British artists brought the house down with a selection of 30 pieces of great music through time and space, from the oldies of the 20s to British pop, while scantily dressed Brazilian girls and boys danced and lured the world to next host Rio de Janeiro.

As a sculpture of the image of John Lennon emerged from the darkness, choirs from Liverpool where the former Beatle was born sang “Imagine” and George Michael made his way through the choir and orchestra to sing his top hit “White Light,” a personal ode to endurance and survival.

The Spice Girls, reunited for one night only, climbed onto cab roofs and sang “Spice up my Life” and “Wannabe.”

Outside the 80,000-seat Olympic stadium, Britons gathered on bermuda grass in front of giant screens at the Olympic Park as they watched the three-hour closing ceremonies with sandwiches in one hand and beer in the other.

There was nationwide celebration in pubs, bars, parks and in the streets in London to the far reaches of the countryside and in nearby Wales and Scotland.

The party lasted past midnight as the host nation celebrated Great Britain’s successful hosting of the XXX Olympic Games and Team GB’s unprecedented medal haul of 28-16-19 gold-silver-bronze medals.

Meanwhile, led by football legend Pele, the Brazilian city then gave a taste of the carnival the world can expect in four years’ time.

“When our time came – Britain, we did it right,” said London Games organizer Sebastian Coe. “The spirit of these Olympics will inspire a generation.”

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge added: “These were happy and glorious Games,” before saying: “I declare the Games of the 30th Olympics closed.”

As a phoenix rose above the cauldron, which opened like a flower, Take That performed “Rule the World” beneath a cascade of fireworks.

It was finally extinguished with a sad “ah” from the crowd, before The Who rounded off the night.

The United States, beaten the last time by host China in 2008, reclaimed overall supremacy with 46-29-29, capping it with a last-day 107-100 victory over Spain in basketball.

China was a strong second with 38-27-22.

Thailand, the Southeast Asian Games consistent overall champion after former powerhouse Indonesia cut down on its sports program, is again on top in the ASEAN with silver medal finishes in weightlifting and boxing and a bronze in taekwondo. This is the first time it failed to win a gold, more so in boxing where it won seven in the previous four stagings of the Games.

Indonesia had silver and a bronze from its weightlifters while Malaysia had a silver in men’s singles in badminton in a repeat of its Beijing feat, and a rare bronze from 21-year-old Pandelela Rinong in the 10m platform diving where she failed to get past the first round in Beijing.

Singapore had two bronze medals from the men’s singles and men’s team in table tennis.

Of 204 participating countries 86 were in the honor roll after all the 303 gold medals were awarded in 26 sports played in 34 venues.

Some of those out of the medal table are Andorra, Aruba, American Samoa, Burundi, Bhutan, Myanmar and the Philippines.

After two silver medals and seven bronze medals since joining the Olympics in1928, the Philippines came home without a medal for the fourth time since 2000.

In the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, Filipino Olympians figured among the last in the elimination round and never reached the next round.

Team Phl, led by chef de mission Manny Lopez, broke camp yesterday and will take a Cathay Pacific flight to Manila Monday.

They are swimmers Jessie King Lacuna (200m freestyle) and Jasmine Alkhaldi (100m freestyle), archers Mark Javier and Rachell Ann Cabral, track and field’s Rene Herrera (5,000m run) and Marestella Torres (long Jump), weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (58 kg), judoka Tomohiko Hoshina (+ 100kg), skeet shooter Paul Brian Rosario, BMX cyclist Danny Caluag, and boxer Mark Barriga.

But after all the headaches and heartaches, it was time for revelry. Team Philippines’ young athletes, competing here with a brave heart and a great resolve to do better this time, joined the merry-making among athletes now united under their own sport.

Then the Flame that stayed for 16 days was extinguished. Each of the competing countries took home one of the petals that made up the cauldron until the cauldron was no more.

It was the end of the XXX Olympic Games.