London bid a grand farewell to the 30th Olympic Games last night with a heady mix of music and culture. Some of Britain's greatest singers and celebrities provided a touch of glamour and vibrance to the closing ceremony. India finished the games with a record haul of six medals which include two silver and four bronze.The Closing Ceremony, titled 'A Symphony of British Music', celebrated the fact that music has been one of Britain's strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years. The show also had a segment showcasing Bhangra drummers.After the initial concert, the flag-bearers of the participating delegations, including India's bronze medal winning woman boxer M C Mary Kom, entered the Stadium in single file, closely followed by the athletes. At the Closing Ceremony, athletes marched together, not by nationality. It is a tradition that began at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games and is a way of bringing the athletes of the world together as 'one nation'.After a thanks giving speech from London Games organising chief Sabastian Coe, The IOC President Jacques Rogge declared the 30th Games closed. He called upon the youth of the world to assemble at Rio de Janeiro for the 31st Olympiad four years later. At the end of a three-hour ceremony, the Olympic flame was ceremoniously extinguished, marking the end of the 17-day sporting extravaganza, which saw many Olympic and world record being re-written and many new heroes emerging.For India, star grappler Sushil Kumar picked up a historic silver medal in 66 kg freestyle category last evening, to provide a great finishing touch to the country's most successful campaign at the Olympics. He lost to his Japanese rival Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu 1-3 in the final. Sushil became the first Indian to win an individual medal in two consecutive Olympic Games. His earlier medal – a bronze – came in the 2008 Beijing Games.The President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh congratulated Sushil Kumar on his achievement. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced a cash award of 1.5 crore rupees. Mr Hooda also announced to give Sushil a piece of land to set up his wrestling academy in Sonepat. While Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has announced an award of one crore rupees, Railway Minister Mukul Roy has announed 75 lakh rupees for Sushil Kumar.In India's tally, the other silver medal was bagged by pistol shooter Vijay Kumar. The four bronze medals were accounted for by rifle shooter Gagan Narang, woman shuttler Saina Nehwal, woman boxer M C Mary Kom and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt.The United States topped the medals table with a haul of 46 Gold, 29 Silver and 29 Bronze. China held the second place with 38 Gold, 27 Silver and 22 Bronze. Hosts Great Britain produced their best ever show to take the third with a tally of 29 Gold, 17 Silver and 19 Bronze.
News On AIR | August 13, 2012 8:58 PM
London bids grand farewell to 30th Olympic Games