Rio Olympic Games end on a high note

The party in Rio that no one was sure they wanted has come to an end with reluctant guests and cash-strapped hosts alike declaring it a success, of sorts.

As Brazil begins to reflect on its performance as host of the 2016 Olympics and Japan takes the baton for Tokyo 2020, there is palpable relief among all involved that while not a roaring success, the Games were not the disaster doom merchants had predicted. On the downside, a few athletes and journalists were robbed, some facilities failed to come up to scratch and a number of events were played out in half-empty ­stadiums.

On the upside, for 17 days the country’s political turmoil faded conveniently into the background and the dreaded Zika virus never reared its head.

The most noteworthy negative headlines involved a diving pool that turned green, a smashed window on a media bus caused by either a rock or a bullet – depending on who you believe – and an international incident sparked by US swimmer Ryan Lochte making up a story about being robbed.

You get the sense that if ­offered the above balance sheet ahead of the Games, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, would have gladly taken it.

“These were and still are iconic Olympic Games in many respects ... a Games in the middle of reality. History will talk about a Rio de Janeiro before and a much better Rio de Janeiro after the Olympic Games,” Bach said.