Olympics Day 16 - August 21, 2016

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Well that's it. Day 16 here in Rio has come and gone. It was a soggy day from start to finish but that certainly did not dampen the spirits of the marathoners this morning or the massive crowd in Maracana Stadium tonight for the Closing Ceremonies. It have been fantastic to get to share our adventures with you here in Rio and especially our Olympic experience here at the Summer Games. With an average of over 70 views a day and nearly 1,200 over the course of the Games, it was great to know that so many of you were taking the time to read the blog and follow along with us. While we're sure most of the views were just our moms clicking refresh on their computers, the love and support is appreciated none the less!

Visiting the Olympic Flame on the final day here in Rio was very fitting. Many view it is a symbol of hope, inclusion, peace and a coming together of people from all corners of the world to celebrate sport and the human spirit. The streets in and around Olympic Boulevard were once again packed with people tonight, all of them coming together to be apart of the Games. All of them enjoying themselves peacefully and all of them, especially the young children, with a twinkle and a spark of hope in their eyes. The vast majority of the people were locals and despite the rain and winds of up to 80km/h, they were there, enjoying the moment and celebrating together as their Country said goodbye to the Games.

While there will be much debate in the coming days, week, months and years about the true costs and benefits of these Games in Rio, for Canadians, the debate should be much simpler. By all measures, this was one of our most successful Summer Games ever. Over 85% of our medals came from women and we tied the most ever medals won in a non-boycotted Olympics. Penny Oleksiak became our most successful Summer Games athlete ever, at just 16 years old and was heck of a good choice to carry our flag tonight! Andre de Grasse made history winning medals in all three sprint events. The list of amazing Canadian performances is too many to mention. We've included a great graphic tonight from Vince Fowler in Calgary that shows how our 22 medals stake up against other countries around the world, based on our population and a host of other factors. No matter how you slice it, it is very impressive.

Whether it was Evan Dunfree or Andrew Yorke or countless other Canadian athletes who did not have the Olympic performance they had envisioned or deserved, they once again showed the world what it means to be Canadian. Meaning they were humble, gracious, giving and determined. These two athletes and many more like them are what, in many ways, give Canadians the tremendous reputation we have around the world. We were welcomed anywhere we went in this City while wearing our Canadian Olympic gear. Not just welcomed, but welcomed with a smile and an eagerness to help us and ensure we were having a great time. We were around lots of other spectators, from lots of other countries and the people of Brazil simply did not roll out the welcome mat quite to the extend they did for others as they did for us.

If you have never been to South America and you've always wanted to visit, don't think twice about coming here to Rio. You won't be disappointed. The people, culture and City will welcome you with open arms and we're confident you will have an incredible vacation, as we have! We are here for a few more days (leaving for home on the 25th) and will likely write one last blog before we go. Our plan is to check out a few more tourist sights and hang out on the beach with the locals and go for a dip in the ocean. Once again, thanks for reading and joining us along the way here in Rio.

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