London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony
The London 2012 Olympic Games now comes to a memorable close. The Olympic Games Closing Ceremony celebrates the amazing sporting feats of all of the world’s greatest athletes who have taken part in these 2012 London Games.
The USA was once again the overall medal count by finishing with 104 total medal. Like in 2008 when it hosted the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China again finished in second place with 87 total medals. Russia came in third place with 82 medals. The United States won the most gold medals with 46.
In addition to celebrating the achievements of athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Closing Ceremony also includes the official handover from London as the host city to the next – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.
After a successful Opening Ceremony, many people were looking forward to see how London would finish these successful and safe Summer Olympic games.
Prior to the event, Closing Ceremony Director Kim Gavin was quoted, “We want it to be the best after-show party there has ever been.” He continues, “It is about British creativity in the arts. There is a hell of a lot of talent and music and a hell of a lot of show in the show.”
AP photo
The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony was a fun, colorful and festive party enjoyed by many millions of people both inside Olympic Stadium as well as on TV.
The Closing Ceremony featured greater than 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteers in addition to 380 schoolchildren from the six east London Host Boroughs.
It was a grand event that showcased the great creative talent of the UK. The spectacular show opened with pop bands Madness, Pet Shop Boys and One Direction playing their hit songs.
An incredible parade of monochrome replicas covered in newsprint of London’s most popular landmarks including Big Ben’s clocktower, Tower Bridge and the towering London Eye ferris wheel. Once unveiled, the results was the British flag rolled across the massive Olympic Stadium floor.
Once again, the next generation of British royalty was in the audience to enjoy the Closing Ceremony. Prince William’s wife, Kate, and Prince Harry were seated next to Jacques Rogge, who is the current president of the International Olympic Committee. They all sang along to the song “God Save the Queen.”
Always a highlight is parade of athletes. The stadium crowd wildly cheered and took pictures of their favorite athlete heroes. The athletes too enjoyed this amazing experience, especially after the grueling competition comes to an end.
The host country had Ben Ainslie, who is the most successful Olympic sailor ever carry the flag for Britain.
Olympic Games tradition continues as the men’s Marathon Victory Ceremony took place.
As with the historic Opening Ceremony, the main focus of this event was the rich history of music in British culture. It was a treat to see a musical retrospective of British music across the ages.
A moving image ex-Beatles John Lennon appeared on the big screen, followed by Bono with Freedom. Dressed in leather was singer George Michaels.
A parade of famous British supermodels thrilled the crowd – Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Stella Tennant and Georgia May Tennant.
Many top musical acts performed including Annie Lennox and the Spice Girls. Queen played as images of deceased Freddy Mercury singing on the various large screens.
A moving moment was the singing of the Olympic Anthem. The Brazilian delegation received the presentation for the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The skies above London lit up with an unbelievable fireworks display.
British rock band legend “The Who”performed a medley of their most popular songs after the Olympic flame was extinguished. The show closed. All of Britain should be proud for hosting such a special Olympic Games show.
