Rio 2016: The Olympic Games bow out in style as the carnival comes to town for the closing ceremony

After 16 days of non-stop sport, the curtain has finally closed on the greatest sporting show on earth

It was rather fitting that the Rio Olympic Games drew to a close as a fierce storm raged and rattled around the iconic Maracana stadium.

A symbolic backdrop to a spectacle that, after all, has been somewhat of a turbulent affair - one that has juxtaposed sporting glory with political scandal, protests, health warnings and multiple sub-plots that have often detracted from the main event itself.

But even the rain could not stop Rio from bowing out in fashion as a barrage of spectacular fireworks exploded above the stadium to signal the beginning of the end for the 2016 Olympic Games.

From here, the closing ceremony set about something that comes naturally to the South American country.

What followed next was a carnival of colour, sights and sounds that sought to celebrate the culture of Brazil.

Spectators were first taken on a visually rich tour of the country’s geography, courtesy of the ceremony’s dancers who recreated the various iconic monuments and landscapes of the Brazilian nation.

Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf mountain were notable sights among many as the dancers morphed effortlessly from one shape into another.

Next was the turn of the athletes themselves to take centre stage. Clad in their plastic ponchos, the Olympians arrived in their hundreds to take their seats surrounding the centre stage, waving their respective national flags.

Fireworks explode during the closing ceremony at the Maracana Stadium (Getty)

For Britain, the women’s hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh led out Team GB following what has been a truly historic Games for the British nation.

While many of Britain’s biggest sporting Olympians were absent - Andy Murray has already returned to action at the Cincinnati Masters - the evident spirit of Team GB continued to shine through as many of the Britons took to social media to share their experiences of the event.

Having said that, Team GB’s outfits raised a few eyebrows thanks to their questionable choice of footwear that flashed red, blue and white. Given their garish qualities, they seemed out of place for a group of athletes who had collectively excelled themselves to record Britain’s highest medal tally since 1908.

Poor fashion choices aside, the ceremony picked up again once the athletes had finally settled. The crowd was taken back in time to the region’s prehistoric era before finding themselves back in the 20th century as techno-infused Samba beats filled the stadium with noise.

From there, the ceremony jumped back and forth across history, with the section on the country’s lace-making past garnering a particularly loud cheer from the audience.

While the men’s marathon medal presentation offered the crowd a brief moment to catch its breath, it was soon time for Tokyo and Japan to take their place at the heart of the ceremony as Rio set the stage, quite literally, for the 2020 Olympic hosts.

The Japanese flag slowly formed into shape before a high-tech, futuristic performance, dotted with neon lights and augmented graphics, flickered across the stage much to the delight of the crowd. It was a confident and encouraging sight that promised plenty from Japan’s capital.

It was ultimately a lavish and vibrant closing conclusion to a sporting event that has captivated the globe for the past 16 days. For all its faults, Rio has nonetheless delivered.

History has been made for multiple countries, Britain included, while the spectacular settings of Rio de Janeiro, from the Copacabana beach to Sugarloaf mountain, brought a wonderfully unique quality to the Games that no other country could ever look to emulate.