If the opening ceremony of the Olympics highlights is the raising of the Olympic flag, then the lowering of the flag is the main agenda of the closing ceremony. Although it signifies the end of the games, it also signals the start of preparation for the next host to duplicate if not to overshadow the pomposity of the previous celebration.
The closing ceremony of the 2004 Olympic games was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium, the venue for most of the games 16 days earlier had almost 70,000 spectators in attendance. Practically similar to the opening ceremony, it still showcased Greek culture and history through the repertoire staged by Greek actors, actresses and dancers, meant to show to the world its inherent culture and tradition.
The most awaited part of the closing ceremony was the exchange of the Olympic flag of the Antwerp games between the Mayor of Athens and the Mayor of Beijing, the city hosting the next Olympic games. Then right after the flag exchange, Chinese cultural dancers also members of the Chinese delegation staged a cultural presentation, giving the world a glimpse into what would literally happen in the next Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.
As tradition dictates, flag-bearer from each nation's contingent entered the stage, followed by the athletes en masse on the floor.
The National Anthem of Greece and China were then played as both the
custom Greece flag and
custom China flag were raised in a handover ceremony. The Olympic flag was then passed by the Mayor of Athens to its counterpart from Beijing and symbolically the Mayor of the host country declared that the 2004 Olympic Games has finally been closed.
by:
The Flagman
