Japan Rocks The Closing Ceremonies With a Nod to Nintendo
The closing ceremonies at the Rio 2016 Olympics wrapped up with a special appearance from Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe disguised as Super Mario emerging from a large green pipe.
Every year the next hosts are given the stage to showcase their country and tease their plans for the upcoming games.
It began with a short video packed with footage of athletes participating in sports and a montage of beautiful images of some iconic areas in Tokyo including the famous scramble intersection and Tokyo Tower.
An anime clip follows showing classic characters such as Mrs.Kitty and Pac-Man, Abe is transformed into Mario and taken through a magic green pipe. He then appears centre stage in Rio wearing Mario’s hat and a glowing red ball.
This is the most emotional I’ve been during these olympics. #ShinzoAbe #ClosingCeremony #Tokyo #Rio ????????????
— May May (@MartyMayflower) August 22, 2016
Naturally, the crowd was exploding at the surprise and it quickly spread through social media. #ShinzoAbe trended as people shared their joy from seeing the beloved video game icon.
We’re all patiently waiting till next games when Tokyo, one of the richest, advanced cities shows off their vision.