Olympics 2008 close

Capacity crowd watches fireworks, dancers and a London bus

Article published on the 2008-08-24 Latest update 2008-08-26 13:25 TU

(Photo: Reuters)

The closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics matched the spectacular opening, with a dash of kitsch and the participation of representatives of London, which will host the 2012 Games. A capacity crowd of 91,000 watched fireworks, dancers, London's mayor and a London bus.

After the last races were run and the last medals were won, Beijing staged another spectacular ceremony to say goodbye to the Games.

(Photo: Reuters)

Performers included ageing rock star Jimmy Page, pop star-cum-reality TV celeb Leona Lewis, who jointly performed Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, and footballer David Beckham, who won instant recognition from the corwd.

(Photo: Reuters)

Musicians suspended on giant drums were lowered from the stadium roof and hundreds of dancers performed.

Representatives of London, which will host the Games in 2012, appeared in the form of a double-decker bus, followed by three cyclists including Olympic champions Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, and the city's mayor, Boris Johnson, waving the Olympic flag.

London has promised the first-ever "sustainable" Olympics. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacqes Rogge praised the British capital's "unique assets" and called on it to stage a "fair play" Games.

(Photo: Reuters)

The British government announced Sunday that a British woman, Mandy McKeown, sentenced to ten days in jail for a protest over China's Tibet policy, will  be released early and deported.

Germany said that the Olympics have helped to open up Chinese society, while Rogge said in his closing remarks that "through these Games the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world".

The IOC declared itself "extremely pleased" with the 2008 Games.