Tokyo Olympics come to a close

Tokyo doused its Olympic flame on Sunday in a ceremony that echoed the restraint of a Games held without spectators and transformed by the global pandemic.

The ceremony, although lustreless, gave athletes something of a glimpse of everyday Tokyo life as the Olympic Stadium was transformed into a park with grass, buskers and BMX riders.

The scene was meant so the visitors could "experience Tokyo", organisers said, a poignant reminder of the many restrictions of the Games.

The president of the International Olympic Committee thanked the Japanese people and acknowledged the difficulty of staging the Games during the pandemic.

"For the first time since the pandemic began, the entire world came together," Thomas Bach said. "Nobody has ever organised a postponed Games before."

In the end, fireworks and a montage of the best moments from the Games celebrated the successful hosting of the 16-day event.

Paris will host the next Summer Games in three years, from July 27, 2024, with a pledge to fully align them with the Paris Climate Agreement by using only renewable energy and with a zero-waste policy.

[With inputs from Reuters]