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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Shaking to samba and expressing a sense of longing with uniquely Brazilian words, Olympians and fans said goodbye to the Rio Games with one last big bash that was both revelatory and a sigh of relief.The closing ceremony Sunday celebrated the 16-day spectacle that was the Rio Games, which combined numerous highlights with ugly and even bizarre episodes that sometimes overshadowed competition. Cariocas -- as Rios residents are known -- werent swayed by the issues that led up to these Olympics, and braved rain and strong winds on the final night to cap their moment in the worldwide spotlight.While South Americas first Olympics are over, safely and with a grandiose finale, many problems remain. Still, Brazil showed Sunday it still definitely knows how to party.These were marvelous Olympic Games in the `marvelous city, said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, playing off the cidade maravilhosa nickname of Brazils postcard city of inviting coastlines, year-round sun and lush tropical vegetation.While the stadium erupted in applause at that declaration, a few minutes later there were boos of sadness when Bach announced: I declare the Games of the XXXI Olympiad closed.The closing ceremony in iconic Maracana Stadium was also meant to take care of some business -- formally signaling the transition to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.But Sundays party was all about Brazil, designed to be more low-key than the opening, which focused heavily on Rio.The ceremony featured original footage of Alberto Santos Dumont, the man that Brazilians recognize as the inventor of the airplane. The theme, Brazilians can do with their bare hands, was a nod to the emerging economy of the worlds fifth most populous nation.Dressed in colorful feathers, dozens of dancers formed in the shape of the arches of Lapa, a popular area of Rio akin to Roman ruins, then morphed to make the shape of iconic Sugarloaf before quickly changing again, this time to the official 2016 symbol.Samba legend Martinho da Vila, whose tunes make their way into many popular telenovelas, sang Carinhoso, or Affectionate.Olympians poured in under light rain, waving their flags while many shook their bodies to samba-infused pop that made the stadium feel like a Carnival parade. Britains athletes wore shoes with soles that lit up in changing colors of red, white and blue, while Tongan taekwondo athlete Pita Taufatofua danced onstage in a grass skirt as a DJ performed, reprising a moment that captured attention when he carried the flag for his country during the opening ceremony.The show widened its lens to greater Brazil, a massive country with a land mass slightly larger than the continental United States. There was a tribute to cave paintings of some of the first inhabitants of the Americas, in Serra da Capivara, in Northeastern Brazil, today one of the nations poorest regions.Spectators watched performers shake it to frevo, a frenetic dance that -- if its even possible -- makes high-octane samba seem like a staid ballroom affair. Holding small umbrellas, dancers jumped and marched while performing acrobatics.They shook it to Vassourinhas, which means small brooms, a popular song that was also the name of a famous club in the northeastern city of Recife.The show also built performances around saudade, which means anything from longing for someone to sadness to remembering good times. It is one of the most important words in Brazilian Portuguese. Lights flashed translations for the word in many languages, and a group of women sang Mulher Rendeira, or Lace-making Woman, a nod to the countrys African heritage. Brazil was the last country in the Americas to outlaw slavery, in 1888.The games had many memorable moments, both for Brazilian competitors at home and athletes from around the world.Soccer-crazed Brazil got partial payback against Germany, winning gold two years after a 7-1 World Cup semi-final shellacking that left Brazilians fuming. American gymnast Simone Biles asserted her dominance with four golds, swimmer Michael Phelps added five more to up his staggering total to 23 and the worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt, put on his usual show with three golds just days before turning 30 years old.But there were also ugly episodes, like American swimmer Ryan Lochtes fabricated story about a harrowing robbery that was actually an intoxicated-fueled vandalism of a gas station bathroom, and bizarre issues like Olympic diving pools going from crystal blue to gunky, algae green -- at a time when Rios water quality in open waters is one of the biggest local environmental issues.With the games over, Brazilians now return to problems that have long consumed the country of 200 million people. The economy is mired in its worst recession in decades, and later this week the Senate is expected to begin the trial on whether to permanently remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached in May for breaking fiscal rules in her managing of the federal budget.Theres widespread expectation that the games in Tokyo, one of the worlds richest, most recognizable, cosmopolitan cities, will run more smoothly than they have in Rio. But theres also worry in Japan over whether the Olympics will eventually further drag down an economy that has been struggling for decades.The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, accepted the flag from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, signaling the transition.Many people, from Brazilians to IOC members, will analyze how things went for the Rio Games in the months ahead. But on Sunday, one strong sentiment was relief -- that despite some problems, overall the games went well.That wasnt a given going in. The Zika virus scared away some competitors and tourists, rampant street crime in Rio and recent extremist attacks around the world raised fears about safety and Brazils political crisis, and the economic angst behind it, threatened to cast a pall over the competitions.We are very resilient, we didnt leave anything important unaddressed, said Augusta Porto, 36, a translator and Rio resident. We can welcome people despite the serious problems that we have faced in the recent past.---This story has been corrected to reflect that Brazils loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup was in a semifinal, not final.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Peter Prengaman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterprengamanMauricio Savarese on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSavarese Hurricanes Jerseys 2021 . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Carolina Hurricanes Gear .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. https://www.cheaphurricanes.com/ . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. Carolina Hurricanes Shirts . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Carolina Hurricanes Store . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. CONCORD, N.C. -- Kyle Busch has shown repeatedly he can win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the Nationwide and Truck series. The question remains whether he can capture that elusive first Sprint Cup victory. Busch dominated Saturday, racing to his sixth Nationwide Series victory of the season and record seventh career win at the 1.5-mile track. He also was Truck Series winner at the track last week, his fifth victory in that circuit at Charlotte. On Sunday, he looks to make it a clean sweep of all three series events with a win in the Coca-Cola 600. Busch has finished in the top eight in 10 of the last 11 Sprint Cup races at CMS but has never won -- a clear source of frustration. "Definitely" Busch said. "I have been close here so many years. Two years ago at the fall race I led a ton of laps and then Matt Kenseth passed me with like eight laps to go. Ive certainly had some devastating moments here at this race track." He thinks he has a "top five" car for Sunday. There was no doubt he had the top car Saturday. Ten years and a day after his Nationwide debut, Busch won for the record 57th time in the series. And he did it in dominating fashion. Busch started on the front row and led 186 of the 200 laps. Thats the most laps led at this race since Dale Earnhardt led 194 in 1986. Busch managed several late restarts to break a tie with Mark Martin for the most Nationwide victories at the track. "Mark is really, really good in the Nationwide series and theres a lot of things Im beating him at, which is cool," Busch said. "This is cool for us and great for thiss team.ddddddddddddIts fun to come to Charlotte. Its my favourite track." With 13 laps to go Busch beat Kasey Kahne off the restart and was never challenged the rest of the way with the clean air helping him cruise to the finish line. "I got to the outside and just didnt get the run," Kahne said of the final restart. "It was over at that point. Kyle Busch is tough to beat in this series." Busch actually stole a page from Kahnes book late in the race, noticing his primary competitor had found success -- and was gaining ground on him -- when he moved up to the top of the track. "I hadnt been up there all day, so it was a little scary," Busch said. Once Busch made the move his lead began to expand over Kahne. Four of the top five finishers were Sprint Cup drivers as Kahne was second, followed by Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick. "We have to find a way to beat that Kyle Busch guy, but hes pretty good," Logano said. Nationwide Series points leader Regan Smith was 10th. Former X Games star Travis Pastrana endured a scary moment late in the race when the back of his No. 60 Ford hit the outside and spun across the track and hit the infield wall head-on. But Pastrana was able to get out of his car and walk away. He said he felt fine, a testament to some of the safety measures NASCAR has installed over the years. "I was fighting for that lucky dog spot," Pastrana said. "But our car was free at the beginning of the run." Michael Annett, racing for the first time since his crash at Daytona in February, finished 17th. ' ' '