London Olympics 2012

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Festival of Fire



And yes of course fireworks


source http://uk.msn.com/

You can find more images at http://uk.msn.com/ including coldplay Rihanna and Jay-Z

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The curtain has come down on a sensational summer of sport in a spectacular ceremony of fire, fun and typical British eccentricity.

The show was lit up with an array of stunning effects, Coldplay, Rihanna, Jay-Z and true grit and determination. At some moments fire swept through the stadium to shock and awe the audience, while at others there were touching scenes which brought a tear to the eye.

The ceremony opened with one such scene, as legless war hero Captain Luke Sinnott hauled himself up a flagpole - to proudly fly the Union Flag. The courageous 32-year-old lost his limbs in 2010 after volunteering to search an area "saturated" with improvised explosive devices to protect his comrades.

Games heroes Ellie Simmonds, 17, and Jonnie Peacock, 19, helped extinguish the flame to officially end the Games. As the fire in the cauldron died, the gold medal winning stars kindled two torches and passed it on to scores of performers to signify the "eternal nature of the flame living on in each and every one of us".

Sir Philip Craven, International Paralympic Committee chairman, declared London 2012 "the greatest Paralympic Games ever". Lord Coe added: "Together these past few weeks we have shared some wonderful days haven't we? Days where incredible people have performed feats we hardly thought possible."

Blind autistic singer Lissa Hermans, who also performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year, sang the National Anthem. And the Paraorchestra accompanied Coldplay on stage as Chris Martin sat cross legged to perform alongside them.

He said: "Being asked to play at the closing celebrations for the Paralympic athletes in London is such a great honour for us. It was one of the biggest nights of our lives and we were excited to try to create a performance for the last night of the games that closed London 2012 in style."

The audience roared as Britain's joint flagbearers wheelchair racer David Weir and cyclist Sarah Storey, who each won four golds, were joined by athletes from each country. The ceremony included some stunning effects and over 1,000 performers, including a cast of disabled artists, who had spent weeks learning circus skills for the show.

London mayor Boris Johnson passed the Paralympic Flag to the mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes. Following the ceremony, Mr Johnson tweeted: "Tremendously proud and more than a bit sad - like the father of a bride - to give away that flag tonight. London, you put on a great show!"

The stunning send-off ended with a spectacular firework display that flashed over the Olympic Stadium and Park
source http://uk.msn.com/

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Crowds turned out in their thousands to cheer on Britain's athletes


Crowds gather in Trafalgar Square to cheer on Britain's athletes during the London 2012 victory parade


Britain threw a thank-you party to the London 2012 heroes


Gamesmakers cheer as they wait for the start of the parade
source http://uk.msn.com/

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GB lions lead the victory parade through London


A golden British Airways plane forms part of a flight past over The Mall to thank Britain's Olympic and Paralympic athletes


A fly past by the Red Arrows after the parade celebrating Britain's Olympic and Paralympic sporting heroes finished on The Mall
source http://uk.msn.com/

See more images of the Olympic parade at http://uk.msn.com/