The Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony was full of powerful performances, heartwarming speeches and gorgeous light shows.
But somehow, a moth managed to steal the show.
The insect was spotted hovering around the Olympic symbol underneath President of the Olympic Games Hashimoto Seiko as she thanked the athletes.
The curious bug distracted several viewers watching from home and quickly became one of the event’s biggest stars.
Social media was flooded with debate on whether it was a moth or a cicada, with a parody Twitter account quickly accumulating followers.
Comparisons were immediately drawn to the moth that pestered football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo during the Euro 2016 final and the insect that stuck to Yvonne Kenny’s dress during the Sydney Games in 2000.
Hilarious footage of a man attempting to swat away the insect off-camera also went viral.
Protesters arrive with the dumbest message
Earlier, a group of protesters marred the closing ceremony in Tokyo, gathering outside the Olympic Stadium with a bizarre message.
One hour ahead of the closing ceremony, Japanese locals were heard chanting, “Cancel the Olympics!”
Signs in the horde read “Olympics kill the poor” and “Stop playing games”.
Police quickly grouped around the peaceful protesters, with media also flooding the scene.
The protest seemed relatively pointless considering the Games are essentially over, with the final event ending several hours earlier.
However, Tokyo remains in a state of emergency with thousands of new Covid-19 cases being announced every day.
A poll conducted by news.com.au found that approximately 82 per cent of our readers were glad the Tokyo Olympics went ahead despite the Covid-19 outbreak, while a further 10 per cent were undecided.
Only eight per cent were unhappy the Games went ahead.
How to closing ceremony unfolded
As anticipated, a large portion of the closing ceremony was prerecorded, featuring highlights from the past two weeks of action.
After some fireworks burst from the Olympic Stadium and filled the Tokyo skyline, the Japanese flag was marched around the venue.
The Japanese national anthem then echoed around the Olympic Stadium as the flag was raised by members of the Japan Self Defence Forces.
An athlete from each nation then completed a lap of the venue, with champion sailor Mathew Belcher earning the illustrious responsibility of holding the Aussie flag.
The Parade of Nations followed, but numbers were noticeably fewer than what we saw at the opening ceremony.
Olympic athletes have been required to leave Tokyo within 48 hours after their last event, meaning most of Australia’s stars are already back Down Under completing their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Ashley Moloney, who won a bronze medal in the decathlon earlier this week, was seen carrying an Australian teammate on his shoulders.
“He’s done the 10 events and now he’s doing the shoulder carry for the Closing Ceremony,” Channel 7 commentator Hamish McLachlan said.
Johanna Griggs continued: “Hasn’t he done enough? He’d be a bit tired. He’s having the time of this life.”
And it wasn’t long before the blown-up boxing kangaroo made an appearance as well.
Following a gorgeous light show, the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra performed a couple of catchy tunes accompanied by a dance crew.
But the music took a couple of unexpected turns when a DJ on the turntable took centre stage before a polka rendition of Beethoven’s iconic “Ode to Joy”.
As is tradition, the national anthem of Greece played around the Olympic Stadium before the victors of the men’s and women’s marathons were awarded their medals.
The thousands of hard-working volunteers were then honoured for their invaluable contribution to the Tokyo Games.
Following a Taiko drumming and dancing performance, the Indigenous Japanese population were honoured in a pre-recorded clip.
The Olympic flag handover took place soon after, with Tokyo Mayor Yuriko Koike passing the flag to IOC President Thomas Bach who in turn passed it to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
After speeches from President of the Olympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, the Olympic flame was extinguished.
What’s the closing ceremony theme?
The concept of the ceremony was “Worlds We Share” following the opening ceremony’s which was “Moving Forward”, and the Games’ concept “United By Emotion”.
“Even if we cannot be together, we can share the same moment, and that is something that we will never forget,” a statement released ahead of the ceremony read.
“It is this salient message which we believe will create a closing ceremony that will open the door to a brighter future. We hope that this ceremony may be a moment for each and every one of us to think about what the future holds.”
It added how the concept “Worlds We Share” was chosen to express the idea “that each of us inhabits their own world”.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
