OLYMPICS
Paralympic Closing Marks End Of Tokyo’s 8-Year Olympic Saga
Sep 5, 2021, 10:38 AM

A general view of Fireworks during the Closing Ceremony on day 12 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Olympic Stadium on September 05, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images for International Paralympic Committee)
(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images for International Paralympic Committee)
TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Paralympics have closed to end a saga that began eight years ago when the Japanese capital was named the host city by the International Olympic Committee.
The Paralympics ended a 13-day run in a circus-like ceremony at the National Stadium overseen by Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, the brother of Emperor Naruhito.
The Olympics closed almost a month ago.
And so #Tokyo2020 comes to a close not with a bang… but a really big bang! 🎇 pic.twitter.com/8aEZn9f8XJ
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) September 5, 2021
These were unprecedented Olympics and Paralympics, postponed for a year and marked by footnotes, asterisks, and no fans, except for a few outlying venues away from Tokyo during the Olympics, and a few thousand school children who were allowed into Paralympic venues.