In addition to fireworks, there were acrobats clinging to a large “memory tower” at the center of the stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, precision drummers, bicyclists and performers representing 56 ethnic groups singing, “Please Stay, Guests From Afar.”
And unlike in the opening ceremony, with its orderly parade of countries and their athletes, the closing ceremony brought flag bearers congregating in the middle, and athletes filing in somewhat haphazardly and many dressed less formally.
In the handover ceremony for the 2012 London Games, a red double-decker bus entered the stadium just after 9 p.m., followed by three cyclists. The bus then opened into a stage with Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, perfoming “Whole Lotta Love” with the British singer Leona Lewis, and David Beckham, the soccer star, taking a soccer ball from a young Chinese girl, handing the games off to London.
Beijing had staked everything on the Games, galvanizing the nation, spending billions to rebuild the ancient capital, erecting fantastic stadiums and producing the kind of opening and closing ceremonies that can only be created in China, with tens of thousands of performers dazzling a global television audience the vibrant displays of color and mass synchronization.
Leading up to the closing ceremony, the United States basketball team, the self-named “Redeem Team,” defeated Spain to recapture the gold medal. The American men’s volleyball team, disoriented after the head coach’s father-in-law had been murdered while touring Beijing, also captured a gold medal, defeating a powerful Brazilian team. A Kenyan runner won the men’s marathon, and a Cuban tae kwon do athlete was banned for kicking a referee.
With Chinese fans chanting “Zhongguo Jiayou!” or “Go China!,” and hundreds of millions of people tuning in everyday by television, some of the biggest audiences in television history, the games served to strengthen pride in the country at a time of rising nationalism.
Liu Xiang, this country’shurdling champion, was injured and unable to defend his title in the 110-meter hurdles, but China dominated in diving, gymnastics weightlifting, shooting and a host of other sports.
There were stories of incredible athletic accomplishments: American swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record eight gold medals and the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt being crowned the world’s fastest man.
India, a country of one billion, won its first gold medal in an individual event. And Togo, a West African nation of 6 million people, won its very first Olympic medal, a bronze in the kayak.
Grave concerns about pollution and athletes donning masks disappeared after the fifth day, after heavy rains cleansed the skies and sun broke through for the opening of the track and field events. Whether China’s weather tamperers really seeded clouds and created rains that were perfectly timed to clear up the weather is still unclear.
But Beijing did take draconian measures to ensure a successful Olympics, limiting cars on the roads, forcing the closure and removal of factories from around Beijing, and essentially ordered large parts of the nation to do everything possible to make these games a success.
Some political analysts say Beijing placed too much importance on the Games, and others said the country failed to live up to its promises to open up and undertake political changes that would improve the country’s human rights record. But this afternoon, Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympics Committee, which awarded the games to Beijing in 2001, said: “The world has learned about China, and China has learned about the world, and I believe this is something that will have positive effects for the long term.”
John Branch contributed reporting from Beijing.
referrence:www.sterlingtiffany.com
