news
The Olympic Games in Tokyo ended on Sunday (08.08.2021) with the closing ceremony and the extinction of the Olympic flame. The Olympic flag was lowered and handed over to the host of the next summer games. In 2024, the French capital, Paris, will host the Games to celebrate the XXXIII. Olympics being.
The motto of the closing ceremony at the Tokyo National Stadium was “Worlds We Share”. Spectators were not allowed. As at the opening ceremony, only officials were present in the stands of the 68,000-seat arena.
Many athletes have already left
Of the almost 11,000 athletes who started at the Olympic Games, only a small number took part in the closing ceremony. Many of the athletes had long since left Japan, because due to the corona pandemic, the organizers’ strict hygiene concept stipulated that the Olympic participants had to leave the country 48 hours after their respective competitions.
Rauhe carries the German flag
The graduation ceremony started with fireworks. In front of IOC President Thomas Bach and Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, the flag bearers of the 206 participating nations as well as the refugee team and the Russian athletes then entered the stadium. Volunteers carried the flags of those countries whose athletes had already left. For the German team, Olympic canoeing champion Ronald Rauhe was given the honor. “Carrying the flag into the stadium is the crowning achievement for me,” said the 39-year-old about his nomination.
The closing ceremony included a program with various artistic performances. The final act of these games offered beautiful and typical elements of the traditional culture of Japan and a last brief glimpse into the fascinating culture of the country – of which Olympic participants had hardly seen anything due to the coronavirus pandemic. The official part of the ceremony was then ushered in with the Greek national anthem. First, the medal winners in the marathon were honored.
Crown Prince Akishino thanks
Crown Prince Akishino, who had come to the stadium on behalf of the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, gave an acceptance speech. Naruhito had declared the games open a little over two weeks ago. Akishino thanked everyone involved as well as the host country Japan and its people. He also referred to the special circumstances due to the corona pandemic.
The crown prince’s special thanks went to the athletes. “You have accepted the unimaginable and mastered incredible challenges through hard work and perseverance. That made you true Olympians.”
“Hope will never go out”
Akishino’s parting words followed shortly thereafter: “Tonight the Olympic flame that lit Tokyo will quietly go out. But the hope that was kindled here will never be extinguished. It will burn in the hearts of people around the world.”
As with every graduation ceremony, the Olympic flag was lowered shortly before the end and handed over to the host of the next summer games. The French capital Paris will host the Games in 2024 being. The Olympic Winter Games in Beijing are already on the program next February.
After Bach’s speech, the fire goes out
At the end of the ceremony, IOC President Thomas Bach gave the closing remarks. “These Olympics were the Games of Hope, Solidarity and Peace,” he said. “In difficult times that we all have to go through, these games, which were postponed by a year due to the corona pandemic, filled billions of people around the world with emotions.” They had “placed their trust” not only in the Olympic community, “but in the whole world”. When the Olympic flame went out, the Tokyo Games came to an end.
Peaceful protest from opponents of the Olympics
The closing ceremony was accompanied by a small, peaceful protest at the Olympic Stadium. Although the police had cordoned off a large area in the heart of Japan’s capital, peaceful protesters came closer to the arena. “No Olympics” could be read on a poster belonging to a group of around 50 activists. The small protest was offset by a large police force.
The fact that the Olympics with participants from all over the world were allowed to take place in Tokyo during the pandemic, despite the sharp rise in the number of cases, is sometimes viewed very critically in Japan. From August 24th to September 5th, the metropolis will host the Paralympics.