Festivities, solemn tribute highlight Paralympics closing ceremony

Surrounded by her fellow Paralympians, para-swimming star Aurélie Rivard marched into the Maracana Stadium as Canada's flag-bearer. The closing ceremony for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games included a celebration of Brazilian music, the official transition to the 2020 Games in Tokyo as well as a tribute to Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died after a crash on Saturday.

Missed the ceremony? Catch up with our running coverage of Sunday night in Rio:

9:40 p.m. ET: Thanks for following along with our coverage!

9:20 p.m. ET: And with the extinguishing of the Paralympic flame, the 2016 Rio Games have officially concluded. 

8:30 p.m. ET: Before beginning his speech, Rio organizing committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman extended his condolences to the family and teammates of Bahman Golbarnezhad, the Iranian cyclist who died Saturday after a crash.

Later, International Paralympic Committee president Sir Philip Craven called for a moment of silence.

A moment of silence for the late Bahman Golbarnezhad

8 years ago

Duration 1:05

President of the IPC Sir Philip Craven paused for a moment of silence during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympics on Sunday to remember Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad.

Craven also bestowed a prestigious award on the citizens of Rio de Janeiro.

8:15 p.m. ET: The closing ceremony acts as the transition to the next Summer Games. First, the Paralympic flag was lowered, then passed from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes to IPC president Sir Philip Craven and finally to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. Tokyo is hosting the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2020.

See you in Tokyo

8 years ago

Duration 13:42

The Paralympic flag is handed over to Tokyo in preparation of the 2020 games.

8:05 p.m. ET: The United States' Tatyana McFadden and independent athlete Ibrahim Al Hussein received the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award for best exemplifying the spirit and values of the Games.

7:55 p.m. ET: As the closing ceremony continues in Rio de Janeiro, take a look at CBC Sports' tribute to the Cariocas, the citizens of the Olympic and Paralympic host city. 

Heart of the Games: The Cariocas

8 years ago

Duration 1:24

As the Paralympics come to a close, we salute the citizens of Rio de Janeiro

7:15 p.m. ET: Aurélie Rivard makes her way into the Maracana with the Canadian flag. Rivard won four medals — including three gold — in the pool over the course of the Games while smashing world records in the 50- and 400-metre freestyle S10 and setting a new Paralympic record in the 100 free.

7:05 p.m. ET: The ceremony began with a flash of colours to coincide with a trio of Brazilian guitarists — including Jonathan Bastos who plays with his feet — highlighting the diverse array of music in the country.

6:50 p.m. ET: With the athletes and guests already seated, the closing ceremony is about to begin.

6:45 p.m. ET: The athletes are getting ready for the start of the closing ceremony, including Paralympic power couple Brent Lakatos and Stef Reid. Reid is a British Paralympian who won bronze in the women's long jump T44, while Lakatos earned four medals, including one gold, in Rio.