BEIJING — The most expensive and lavish Olympic Games in history came to a close Sunday as Beijing officially passed the Olympic flame to London, and the countdown started for the 2012 Games the British say will be frugal but fun.
To the deafening roar of fireworks, Beijing marked the end of these Summer Games. The two-hour closing ceremony held a dash of whimsy — including scores of performers on pogo stilts — and more technical wizardry than the precision mass movements of singers and dancers of the Aug. 8 opening of the Games, designed to project China’s strength.
Some 7,000 performers took part in the closing ceremony, including Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, Chinese chanteuse Song Zuying and British singer Leona Lewis.
Liu Qi, head of the organizing committee of the Beijing Games, extolled the athletes who broke numerous records during the 16-day games.
“They have given their very best in a fair play environment and achieved amazing results,” Liu said.
A little more than an hour into the ceremony, Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong handed the Olympic flag to IOC chief Jacques Rogge, who passed it on to Boris Johnson, London’s beaming mop-haired mayor.
Then it was London’s turn.
As British Prime Minister Gordon Brown watched from the stadium gallery, British designers took over a portion of the ceremony.
A red double-decker London bus drove into the Bird’s Nest Stadium, peeling open like a blossoming flower to reveal a stage. On it was Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, playing the classic “Whole Lotta Love.” Moments later, David Beckham, the soccer icon, arrived to kick a soccer ball into a crowd of athletes. Beckham scored a huge ovation.
While Beijing spent more than $40 billion to build knock-’em-dead arenas, new subway lines and environmental programs to clear smog, London has budgeted a more modest $19 billion.
McClatchy Newspapers
