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'The carnival is over' 2000 Paralympics come to a close with celebration
Updated: Monday October 30, 2000 8:07 AM
By Luba Vangelova, Special to CNNSI.com Eleven days ago, the 11th Paralympic Games began with a party. Sunday night they also ended with a party. But instead of the flash and noise of the opening ceremony, the two-hour closing ceremony relied more on Australians' trademark irreverent wit and also the high spirits of the athletes, their competitions now behind them. Fittingly for a sports festival that showcased ability rather than disability, the Turkmeni athlete who wowed the opening night crowds with his impromptu handstands opened tonight's party by dropping his crutches at one end of the infield and walking on his hands to a settee in the middle of the stadium. He pressed a remote control to set off fireworks all around him. The stadium screens showed a montage of highlights from the Paralympics as Australian singer Graeme Connors sang the sort of inspirational song that no Olympic or Paralympic ceremony can be without. But this being Australia, sentimentality did not rule for long. After an abbreviated parade of nations featuring only sign- and flag-bearers (the athletes were seated around the stadium from the start), another video montage reviewed the past seven years of Sydney's Olympics and Paralympics preparations. A spotlight then found Circus Oz performer Tim Coldwell hanging upside down on a section of track suspended above a stage on the northern end of the stadium. "I'd like to share with you this very Australian moment," Coldwell said. He then proceeded to, as he put it, "relive my Olympic triumph, not only upside down, but completely back to front." He sang the Australian national anthem backwards, then ran backwards along the suspended track. "That was the 100 meters and the medal ceremony," he said. More irreverent moments followed, featuring the controversial "Roos on Bikes" from the Atlanta closing ceremonies, and a "runner" masquerading as Maurice Green, even throwing one of his shoes into the crowd. Aerialists performed stunts above the stage, with the rear-projection screen behind them warning "Don't try this at home." The requisite officials speeches were also made, thanking everyone who worked on the Games, especially the volunteers. "The Sydney 2000 Games will be remembered as the friendliest ever held," said Australian Governor-General Sir William Deane. Robert Steadward, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, alluded to the cooperation agreement recently announced between the IOC and the IPC, which he said "opens the way to moving closer together than ever before." To the Paralympians, he said, "Believe in yourself, and never, ever underestimate the power of the human spirit." Then he proclaimed these Games "the best ever" and declared them closed. A laser show followed, after which the flame in the cauldron slowly died down. A Greek choir sang to mark the handover of the Paralympic Games to Athens, which will host them in 2004. Then hundreds of children dressed in carnival costumes ran into the stadium waving colorful balloons to mark the start of the evening's real party. White balloons rained down on the spectators, who tossed them around while the athletes emptied the stands and filled the infield. A succession of music acts performed as the athletes milled around the infield, some waving flags and others waving sheets thanking Sydney. Australian rock icon Jimmy Barnes got the crowd and the athletes going with an energetic set that ended with "Your Love is Lifting me Higher." Athletes in wheelchairs danced on the track, spinning around and bouncing forward and backward on their back wheels, some even bouncing back on their hands. One overly enthusiastic Chinese dancer fell out of her wheelchair, but within minutes was back boogeying on two wheels with an athlete from Oman. They soon had to part to make way for a conga line of volunteers and athletes snaking their way around the track. Folk group The Seekers closed the ceremony with a bittersweet tune, "The Carnival is Over." The athletes and spectators filtered out. But the night was not over for many of the athletes, anyway; the Brazilian Wheelchair Dance Company was scheduled for an encore performance in the Paralympic Village nightclub, into the wee hours of the morning.
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