No Longer a New World: Paralympics Say Goodbye to Rio

(ATR) The Rio 2016 Paralympic flame is out in the Maracana as the world says tchau to Brazil and konichiwa to Tokyo.

The closing ceremony brings an end to the first Games in South America and 11 days of Paralympic sport. Brazilian fans came out full force to the Games, purchasing 2.1 million tickets to cheer athletes, who set 209 world records. Large crowds at venues were not always a guarantee with only 200,000 Paralympics tickets sold before the end of the 2016 Olympics.

Click here to view photos of the Paralympic Closing Ceremony

Organizers have repeatedly commended the Brazilian public for making the Games their own, as International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven called Rio 2016 "the people’s Games." The Brazilian’s enthusiasm stands in stark contrast to the warnings given by IPC executives weeks before the Games were set to open.

The ceremony played out like a soundtrack to Brazil based heavily on the diverse sounds of Latin America’s largest country. A near capacity crowd packed into 45,000 available seats to send Rio 2016 off. Instead of a traditional ceremony with different performances, musical acts congregated on a stand at one end of the stadium most of the night.

In addition to ending the Paralympic Games, the closing ceremony finished all Rio 2016 activities and a cycle of mega-events brought to Brazil. The Maracana has seen the Confederations Cup, World Cup and Olympic finals in the last three years alone.

The end of the Games was overshadowed by the worst tragedy possible, the death of Iranian para-cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad. Golbarnezhad perished in an ambulance on the way to a Rio hospital after being treated for a head injury sustained in a mid-race crash. IPC and Rio 2016 presidents Phil Craven and Carlos Nuzman addressed the death of the first Paralympian during competition after a moment of silence for Golbarnezhad.

"The passing of Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad has affected us all and left the whole Paralympic Movement united in grief," Craven said. "Tonight, I would like you to join me in paying our condolences to his family, friends, his teammates and the people of Iran by observing a moment of silence in his memory."

The countdown to the ceremony began with hearing impaired percussionists playing the traditional Maracatu and Samba genres. A trio of guitarists kicked off the ceremony as Armanndinho, Andreas Kisser and Johnatha Bastos joined together on stage performing a blend of Frevo and Heavy Metal.

Artists with impairments were honored throughout the ceremony such as Bastos, a guitarist without both arms who played with his feet, and blind performer Saulo Laucas singing the Brazilian national anthem.

As the music continued, the winners of the Whang Youn Dai award were honored. United States wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden and Independent Paralympic Athlete Ibrahim Al Hussein of Syria were given solid gold medals in recognition of their feats in Rio.

Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman said "the impossible happened," here in Brazil: staging a successful Olympics and Paralympics. Nuzman said closing the Paralympic games was a "historic moment, ending an era," here in Rio.

"Brazilians never give up!" Nuzman exclaimed. "The best fans on the planet are the Cariocas."

Craven highlighted the special atmosphere of Rio by thanking the Cariocas for their enthusiastic support, which made every athlete feel like they were competing in front of their home fans.

"Marvelous Cariocas, you warmly embraced these Games and took the athletes to your hearts," Craven said. "You made the Paralympics your Games, the People’s Games, and we will forever cherish our time spent with you."

Although all of the Paralympic medals had already been given to the athletes, Craven announced he would be honoring the people of Rio and Brazil with the Paralympic Order, forever cementing their legacy in the Paralympic Movement.

After thanking the Brazilians for making Rio 2016 so special, a "positive shift," was taken to showcase Tokyo 2020 to the world. After Governor Yuriko Koike received the Paralympic flag from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, a showcase featuring amputee models, dancers and visually impaired musicians began.

The showcase ended with a parade led by the performers, those with impairments and able bodied persons marched together to signal the unity the Tokyo Paralympics aim to bring.

In the only way Brazilians know how, a nearly hour long music and dance party ended celebrations. Six famous Brazilian performers, headlined by Ivete Sangalo, sang Rio 2016 off into the Carioca night. Thcau Rio, obrigado pelas memórias.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Aaron Bauer at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.

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