The London 2012 Olympics has ended with a spectacular musical closing ceremony and the official handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro.
The three-hour show featured some of the biggest names of British pop from decades past, including the Spice Girls and George Michael.
The official Games flag was handed to the mayor of Rio before the flame at the Olympic Stadium was extinguished.
At the close of the ceremony, watched in the stadium by the 10,000 athletes and 80,000 spectators, the flame was extinguished in dramatic fashion. Each nation will receive one of the cauldron’s 204 petals.
The Games ended with the US topping the final medal table with 46 gold, 29 silver and 29 bronze followed by China with 38 gold, 27 silver and 22 bronze while Great Britain is third with 29 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze.
In all, 44 world records have been set during London 2012, and 117 Olympic records broken.
Among those to have set new world bests included Kenyan David Rudisha in the men’s 800m and the Jamaican sprint relay team, which included 100m and 200m gold medallist Usain Bolt.
US swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history with a final tally of 18 career gold, and a total of 22 medals.
Story by: Filipe Naikaso
