It's A Wrap for Rio 2016

(ATR) The highs and lows of Rio de Janeiro were showcased during the 2016 Olympics.

The Olympic flame was extinguished at the Maracana Stadium today, officially ending the Games of the XXXI Olympiad.

The Closing Ceremony, an exploration and celebration of Brazilian art in its multiple forms, was affected by poor weather. Many of the prominent seats in the Maracana were empty and early in the ceremony many athletes had to leave the field to take cover from the pouring rain.

Carlos Nuzman, the Rio 2016 organizing committee president, told the soaked crowd that the rain had come to celebrate too. He also proudly stated that he's the happiest man alive.

Before declaring the Rio Games closed, IOC president Thomas Bach used his speech to thank the volunteers, athletes and the Refugee Olympic Team before turning his attention to the host city.

"These were marvelous Olympic Games in THE marvelous city!" Bach said.

"These Olympic Games are leaving a unique legacy for generations to come. History will talk about a Rio de Janeiro before and a much better Rio de Janeiro after the Olympic Games."

Now, the world’s eyes will be cast on Tokyo as metropolitan governor Yuriko Koike received the Olympic Flag from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes. The biggest surprise of the night came when Super Mario arrived in Rio to take the Games to Tokyo and it turned out to be Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Olympic champions reaffirmed their greatness while new stories emerged from the sporting side of the Games. American Michael Phelps added to his record total of Olympic medals, and Jamaican Usain Bolt completed his triple-triple.

The host country started slow sporting wise, but rebounded to have its best ever showing at an Olympic Games. Brazil secured seven gold medals and 19 total medals, putting them 13th on the medal table. Judoka Rafaela da Silva won gold on August 6, representing the favela Cidade de Deus, located less than five miles from the Olympic Park. It was the uplifting sporting story Brazil deserved amid the troubles the Games brought.

As athletes performed on the field of play, numerous incidents dogged organizers, tarnishing the picture of events. A green diving pool, rocks shattering windows on a bus full of journalists, the arrest of IOC member Patrick Hickey, the death of a German canoe slalom coach, and the saga of Ryan Lochte dominated headlines.

The litany of issues dominated discussion during the Games, but fears of a large-scale attack were thankfully never proven correct. The Games escaped a major crisis or incident, even under the backdrop of seemingly ill-prepared organizers.

Time will tell how these Games are remembered here in Brazil, or for the IOC. The Games were forced to cut many services behind the scenes, causing a number of headaches for athletes, officials, media, and IOC members. Rio, like ShaunaeMiller of the Bahamas, dove across the finish line to barely finish Olympic preparations. Lessons from the host city will remain in the back of IOC members' heads going forward as Africa readies itself for an Olympic bid in the coming cycles.

Closing the Games brings the end of a decade of mega-event hosting in Brazil starting from the 2007 Pan American Games. Brazil will now look to rebuild its economy and ensure a legacy from the Games that does not include white elephant stadia like the World Cup. Resolving the political crisis and the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff is first on the agenda. Then, the country must continue to investigate corruption as part of the multi-billion dollar Lava Jato scheme.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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