Rio 2016 Olympics close: The most successful Olympics in modern sports history

The 16 days of competition ended on the morning of August 22 (Hanoi time), marking one of the most successful Olympics in modern sports history.

"These have been great Olympics in a great city," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in his closing speech. "Over the past 16 days, a united Brazil has inspired the world in these difficult times with its vitality."

Bach's speech and a carnival full of Brazilian colors closed the 31st Olympic Games in modern history, after 16 days of competition with the participation of 11,303 athletes from 206 countries and territories around the world.

The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics ended with a sound and light party imbued with the culture of host Brazil. Photo: Reuters.

There were still controversies and complaints about the quality of refereeing, competition, infrastructure and security, but the 2016 Olympics also achieved great sporting success. FromThousands of exciting and fierce competitions took place in Rio de Janeiro, with 27 world records set in seven events, including archery, athletics, decathlon, cycling, shooting, swimming and weightlifting.

Rio de Janeiro 2016 witnessed the most impressive farewell of the monuments.Usain Bolt ended his Olympic career with three gold medals, completing a great hattrick, dominating short-distance running events (100m, 200m and 4x100m) at three consecutive Olympics.

Michael Phelps said goodbye to his peak career with five gold medals, one silver medal and an Olympic record in Rio de Janeiro. The American swimmer created the largest collection of medals in the history of the Olympics with a total of 23 gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals in four consecutive appearances (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).

They are followed by a host of other young, equally talented and promising Olympians. In swimming, 19-year-old American Katie Ledecky emerged with four gold medals and one silver. Joseph Schooling, who recently beat Phelps and set an Olympic record in the 100m butterfly, is also a promising new star on the track. Simone Biles, a 19-year-old American gymnast, won four gold medals and one bronze.

In athletics, 24-year-old South African athlete Wayde van Niekek emerged as a shining star, setting a new world record in the 400m race, replacing the old record that had stood for 17 years, set by American legend Michael Johnson in 1999.

Phelps has retreated into the background of history, but world swimming and the Olympics await the breakthrough of successors like Schooling. Photo: AFP.

The 2016 Olympics also saw a dramatic change in the medal table, with the British team rising to second place with 27 gold medals, just behind the leading US team (46 gold medals). China, which had always been in the top 2 in the previous three Olympics, dropped to third place with only 26 gold medals.

Russian sports marked a successful Olympics, coming in fourth with 19 gold medals. This result is considered surprising in the context of Russia coming to Rio de Janeiro after a doping "storm" and losing many athletes in strong events, including athletics.

Rio 2016 was also the Olympics that witnessed many sports delegations make history with their first gold medals.Vietnam is among them, thanks to two medals won by shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh., including a gold medal in the 10m air pistol. Other teams with first-time Olympic gold medals include Singapore, Fiji, Kosovo, Jordan, Bahrain, Tajikistan and Puerto Rico.

Hosts Brazil, in addition to the honor of hosting, have also reaped great sporting success. They opened their gold medal hunt with the victory of Rafaela Silva, a 24-year-old Rio de Janeiro native, in judo on the third day of competition, and closed that campaign with a seventh gold medal, coming from men's volleyball.

Of the seven gold medals won, the Brazilians were most delighted with their triumph in men's football. Having won the World Cup five times, Brazil had never before known Olympic glory. They had reached the final three times and lost all three, to France (1984), the former Soviet Union (1988) and Mexico (2012). The penalty shootout victory over Germany thus ended Brazil's 60-year drought for an Olympic gold medal.

"The Olympics in Rio were a huge challenge, but they ended successfully. I am proud of this country, this city and my compatriots. Rio made history," said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, head of the 2016 Olympic organizing committee.

The festival in Rio de Janeiro has ended, but world sports and the Olympic movement are still moving forward, with new races opening up, the next destination being the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

A new gear will be set in motion after the opening ceremony, as world sports gear up for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters.

Before the Olympic flag was handed over by Mr Bach to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koke, the closing ceremony organizers gave the 2020 Olympic host country 12 minutes to introduce itself. Iconic characters from Japanese sports, culture and society, including Mario, Doraemon and Tsubasa, made an appearance.

According to VNE