World says good-bye to London Olympics (PHOTOS)

Published time: August 13, 2012 03:43
Edited time: August 13, 2012 12:01
Fireworks explode over the Olympic flame in the Olympic stadium in London during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Olivier Morin)
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A spectacular show starring iconic British musicians has marked the end of the XXX Summer Games in London. The Olympic flame has been extinguished and the Olympic flag has been handed to the next host Rio de Janeiro.

"These were happy and glorious Games. The legacy of the Games of the 30th Olympiad will become clear in many ways,” said International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge declaring the Games closed on Sunday night.

Addressing the athletes Rogge said, "Through your commitment to fair play, your respect for opponents, and your grace in defeat as well as in victory, you have earned the right to be called Olympians."

London Mayor Boris Johnson handed the Olympic flag to the IOC president, who then presented it to Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, which will host the next Summer Games in 2016.

An eight-minute segment of the ceremony dedicated to Rio brought in a carnival atmosphere celebrating Rio's mix of cultures, music and dance.

The flag handover was followed by the traditional march of athletes, with about 10,800 Olympians walking in to the stadium as one rather than with their nations, symbolizing the harmony and friendship inspired by the games.

Some 80,000 spectators filled the Olympic Stadium to see the three-hour exuberant ceremony featuring The Spice Girls, Muse, George Michael, Brazilian football legend Pele and a cast of more than 4,000.

Liam Gallagher performed "Wonderwall," a 1990s hit by his former band, Oasis. Muse rocked the house with the hard-edged Olympic anthem "Survival." As well, Queen guitarist Brian May was joined by singer Jessie J for a crowd-pleasing "We Will Rock You."

The ceremony ended with the extinguishing of the Olympic flame and the 204 petals of the Olympic cauldron descending to ground level.

The Olympic Flag is handed from Mayor of London, Boris Johnson to IOC President Jacques Rogge, who passes to Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2012 in London (AFP Photo / Jeff J Mitchell)
The Olympic Flag is handed from Mayor of London, Boris Johnson to IOC President Jacques Rogge, who passes to Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2012 in London (AFP Photo / Jeff J Mitchell)
Fireworks explode over the Olympic flame in the Olympic stadium in London during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012  (AFP Photo / Olivier Morin)
Fireworks explode over the Olympic flame in the Olympic stadium in London during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Olivier Morin)
A ballerina from the Royal Ballet performs as a pheonix during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Olympic Stadium in east London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Johannies Eisele)
A ballerina from the Royal Ballet performs as a pheonix during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Olympic Stadium in east London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Johannies Eisele)
 The Olympic cauldron with its 204 copper petals is dismantled during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012 at the Olympic stadium in London. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games (AFP Photo / Frank Fife)
The Olympic cauldron with its 204 copper petals is dismantled during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012 at the Olympic stadium in London. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games (AFP Photo / Frank Fife)
A photo shows dancers performing during the extinguishing of the Olympic flame at the Olympic stadium in London during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012  (AFP Photo / Olivier Morin)
A photo shows dancers performing during the extinguishing of the Olympic flame at the Olympic stadium in London during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Olivier Morin)
DJ Fatboy Slim performs during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Leon Neal)
DJ Fatboy Slim performs during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Leon Neal)
Fireworks lighten the Olympic stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Jewel Samad)
Fireworks lighten the Olympic stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Jewel Samad)
 Fireworks explode over the Olympic stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Alberto Pizzoli)
Fireworks explode over the Olympic stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Alberto Pizzoli)

Comments (10)

Otto von Bulow (unregistered) 15.08.2012 13:44

Gabby Douglas (protected race) should have won Silver or bronze; Russia's Komova  (not protected race) was much better better.

In the women's gymnastic all-around, the final event was floor exercise. Gabby Douglas did an OK routine, no big problems but boring, and got 15.133. Komova from Russia did a fantastic routine and got 15.100. As a result Douglas won the gold medal by something like 0.297. Komova's routine was probably 0.3 better than Douglas'; it was much better.

The other difference is that a black woman (Douglas) won the gold medal. Recall that the white woman (Wieber) was excluded from the all-around team. So from the US, the black woman was selected as the sole individual star, shooting up the ranks despite not being clearly better than her rivals.

So much damn politics in the Olympics. I guess now US gymnastics is going to have affirmative action.

I feel really sorry for Komova, a beautiful and classical Russian gymnast. She would have been the best gold medalist, and the final score was so obviously designed to screw her that it's scandalous. That's why on US TV coverage they did not even report Komova's score, just showed Douglas' smiling face winning as a result of the dirty deed done to Komova.

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Otto von Bulow (unregistered) 15.08.2012 13:39

London Olympics to be remembered for flag bungle:USA flag falls during National Anthem for Serena Williams @ Olympics . Look it up on Youtube, it is really funny

The US flag was blown down at London Olympics as an American athlete got gold.  Tue Aug 7, 2012 9:9PM GMT


On Saturday 4 August at Wimbledon, the wind tested how secured the nations’ flags were at the London Olympics as the US flag broke free of its crossbar and floated down behind a purple barricade between the stands and the court.

The incident happened as Serena Williams, the Doped and Drugged American athlete who “won” by cheating the gold medal in women's single tennis, was proudly watching her country’s flag being raised to the roof of Centre Court.


Maria Sharapova was chatting with Serena Williams just before the flag went down like a rag. Here is what the exchange was:

Sharapav a said:

" my dear black sister what drugs you have been using to get these muscles, you are much bigger than Federrer or Djokovic!"

Williams answered:

“ honey U can not use my drugs we will will crucify you as Russian White Girl. U consider yourself lucky our labs did not frame you as we did with Hingis. We blacks have free ride now, we even have our own black president of the world with license to kill and Nobel Peace Prize; Obama Obama , he is also drugged! Any problems …. Whitey? suck it up”


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Otto von Bulow (unregistered) 15.08.2012 13:35

The 2012 Olympics is victory for Hi Tech Doping Technology and victory for New World Order that tries to prove inferiority of East European People! The Olympic Governing Body is just like UN minus the veto power Russia yields at the UN.
In this Olympics, for the first time, no single black athlete was kicked out if found using doping substances. That was the official Policy of 2012 Olympic Anti-Doping Committee : regardless how blacks are doped or drugged they are not to be prevented from competing or stripped of the medals; That happened before in 2000.   Carl Lewis's  and other US blacks positive test were covered up at 2000 Olympics, did you know that?   as Jacquelin Magnay April 18 2003 wrote
 
There were more than 100 positive tests for Black US athletes who won 19 Olympic medals in 2000, yet they kept their medals. What about Olympics 2012? Oh, yes we will learn about that in 3  years!   Ol ympic Black legend Carl Lewis is among more than 100 American athletes involved in a cover-up of drug use, documents reveal.   Lew is and two of his training partners all took the same three types of banned stimulants and were caught at the 1988 US Olympic trials, according to the documents released by a disgruntled former senior US anti-doping official, Dr Wade Exum. ………

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