Rio Olympics 2016: Spectacular closing

ceremony as Olympic flag goes to Tokyo

The Rio Olympics ended with a spectacular carnival-inspired closing
ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo.

The colourful ceremony, lasting almost three hours, celebrated Brazil's arts
and was held in a wet Maracana.

Among the highlights were Tokyo's impressive showcase and a vibrant

carnival parade.

"These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city," said International

Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach.

"Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for
all of us, with its irresistible joy for life."

Bach officially closed the Games of the 31st Olympiad after 16 days of
competition, featuring 11,303 athletes from 206 nations and a refugee team.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Japan's Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe appeared dressed as computer game character Super Mario,
rising out of a huge green pipe in the stadium.

The ceremony, watched by billions around the world, featured the parade of
athletes and a dramatic extinguishing of the Olympic flame.

Women's hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh carried the flag for Great
Britain, who finished the Games with 67 medals - their highest tally at an
overseas Olympics.

Super-heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce had earlier won Britain's final medal of
Rio 2016 - a silver - as they finished second in the medal table to the United
States, ahead of China.

Mahershala Ali becomes first

Muslim actor to win Oscar
Amid all the glitz, glam and controversy of the 2017 Oscars, Mahershala Ali has
become the first Muslim actor to take home one of the venerated trophies.

Winning in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work in Moonlight, which
won Best Picture, Ali did not mention his faith in his Oscars acceptance speech.
He instead thanked all of his teachers, along with his wife, who gave birth to their
daughter only last week.

"I think what I've learned from working on Moonlight is we see what happens
when you persecute people, Ali said in his reference to his faith when he
accepted a Screen Actors Guild Award back in January. They fold into
themselves. And what I was so grateful about in having the opportunity to play
Juan was playing a gentleman who saw a young man folding into himself as a
result of the persecution of his community."

Ali was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore and was raised a Christian, before
converting to Islam in 1999. "My mother is an ordained minister. I'm a Muslim.
She didn't do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted 17 years ago," he
said as quoted by CNN.

"But I tell you now, you put things to the side, and I'm able to see her and she's
able to see me. We love each other. The love has grown. And that stuff is
minutia. It's not that important."(sul/kes)