(Getty Images)
The closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium on Sunday night, and Gossip Cop has all the highlights. Watch the end of the Olympic summer games below!
Before the official closing ceremony, NBC aired an hour-long special called “Rio Gold,” which recapped some of the Olympics’ most memorable moments. That special, which began at 7 p.m. EST and was hosted by Bob Costas and Al Michaels, focused on Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Usain Bolt, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team and others who made their mark during the Rio Olympics.
After that, the closing ceremony began at 8 p.m. EST and featured a smaller parade of athletes, since many had gone home already. For the U.S., Simone Biles, who won four gold medals and a silver at her first Olympic games, carried the U.S. flag. In addition to the procession of different nations, there were musical performances by Kygo and Julia Michaels, plenty of samba dancers, tons of pageantry, and fireworks.
At the end of the closing ceremony, Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, was given the Olympic flag since Japan’s capital is hosting the 2020 summer games. And after that, the Olympic flame was extinguished in Rio.
Ryan Seacrest, Mary Carillo and Mike Tirico served as the hosts of the closing ceremony for NBC. Check out the best highlights below of the 2016 Rio Olympics’ closing ceremony!
