Sochi says farewell to the Winter Olympics with a sensational closing ceremony

VLADIMIR PUTIN’s Russia has pulled off the improbable, closing its mind-bending Olympics in party mode.

Fireworks explode around the Fisht Olympic Stadium at the end of the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

VLADIMIR PUTIN’s Russia has pulled off the improbable.

What looked like a crazy idea seven years ago and seriously dangerous a month ago has culminated with the globe gushing over the “new” Russia.

Sochi closed its mind-bending Olympics in party mode early today, slamming down an emphatic exclamation point that almost seemed to shout: “look at us now, world!”

In a closing ceremony that moved from ethereal elegance to circus carnivale and, finally, DJ dance-mania, Russia let down its hair with gusto.

News_Image_File: David Morris carries the Australian flag during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics closing ceremony.

IOC president Thomas Bach said Russia had vowed to provide “excellent sports venues, outstanding Olympic Villages and an impeccable organisation”.

“Tonight, we can say, Russia delivered all of what it had promised,’’ he said, to a thunderous cheer from the 40,000-strong crowd.

“Everyone with an open mind can see the face of a new Russia ... efficient and friendly, patriotic and open to the world.’’

News_Image_File: Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) toasts the success of the Sochi games.

Putin, looking more relaxed than at the Opening Ceremony, only allowed himself a slight smile, but he gained almost everything he wanted.

Victory on the medal rally with 13 golds and 33 medals overall; Russia’s global reputation enhanced; and cheers when Mr Back personally thanked him for the “extraordinary success”.

The only thing missing was an ice-hockey medal, but even those with a seemingly endless mandate on power do not get everything when it comes to winter sports.

Silver-medal winning aerial skier David Morris led his team mates into the arena with the Australian flag, proving one more time that nice guys can finish first.

“Peace out Sochi, Russia,’’ alpine skier Lavinia Chrystal said. “Coming home an Olympian! Yiewww.’’

News_Image_File: Aussie athletes get in the party spirit during the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Fallen speed skater Daniel Grieg ended his Games on a high. “Such a beautiful last day here,’’ he said. “It has certainly been an experience, I will definitely be back.’’

The ceremony capped a perception-altering fortnight in which famously stern-faced Russians broke into grins and suddenly seemed cooler than their American visitors.

Today it was Russian red, white and blue sparkling proudly across Sochi’s Fisht Stadium as the nation showed it can also deliver a neat line in civic pride.

Australia’s Olympic supremo John Coates said he was always confident Russia would pull it off, revealing he had voted for the Sochi bid seven years ago “sight unseen”.

“We say we’re a universal movement and you have to accept the challenges that come with that, even if you become unstuck sometimes,’’ he said.

News_Image_File: Australia’s bobsleigh pilot Heath Spence shares the Sochi love.

“Russia has delivered in all the key areas — exceptional venues, outstanding Villages, efficient transport. No-fuss security, and the volunteers young, polite and friendly.’’

Certainly Putin threw everything at his command into the Sochi effort.

While others build an Olympic Park, he built a new city. Russia’s oligarchs were “encouraged” to invest their billions to show their loyalty to the national cause.

More than 70,000 soldiers, snipers and spies stepped in to shut-out terrorists, after two suicide bombers killed 34 people in Volgograd only weeks before the Games.

Students came from 28 universities to act as volunteers, many of them speaking confidently about their future.

“We sometimes think we miss out on freedoms, but maybe political stability can bring us out of the bad times,’ a young Moscow-based banker said.

Of course, Sochi is not Russia and life for millions of Russians is impoverished, isolated and cold.

News_Image_File: Athletes enjoy the closing party after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

As the fireworks exploded over the Black Sea, critics were already asking what this over-sized playground will look like a year from now.

Will cashed-up Russians adopt the new $2.6 billion Rosa Khutor snow resort as their own, or simply fly over it on the way to the Swiss Alps?

What will become of Sochi’s 50 new hotels, 35 cable cars and $9.4 billion rail system when the Olympic caravan moves on?

Plans are in place to transform some of the space-age sporting arenas: The Iceberg Skating Palace is to become a cycling arena, while the monolithic media centre will be converted into an up-market shopping mall.

You will hear more of Sochi soon — the G8 Summit lands here in May, while the Formula One Grand Prix zooms into town in October.

Sochi will also become home to the Russian football team and 2018 World Cup matches will be staged in Fisht stadium.

News_Image_File: A Brazilian athlete dances as others watch during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Kevan Gosper, Australia’s veteran IOC member, said Sochi had “raised the bar of delivery and expectations for future Olympic Winter Games to new heights”.

“Technology has worked, the press has reported freely, the Putin vision for legacy and Russia’s elite winter athletes is to be admired,’’ he said.

Mr Gosper could not resist a final dig at the United States, which sent a low-key delegation after President Barack Obama decided to stay at home.

“What a pity for Americans, who normally attend the Olympics with enthusiasm and impartiality, that some alarmist media scared them from seeing one of the greatest Games of our time, despite assurances about security arrangements.”

News_Image_File: Australia’s Britt Cox hitches a ride on the shoulders of a freshly shaven Anton Grimus during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

News_Image_File: Skeleton Athlete Lucy Chaffer (L) and snowboarder Belle Brockhoff (R) of Australia enter during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

News_Image_File: Athletes and volunteers dance at the closing party after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. News_Image_File: A DJ mixes it up during a dance party after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

News_Image_File: Fireworks during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

News_Image_File: Fireworks explode over Olympic Park during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

News_Image_File: "The Magic of Circus" is performed during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

News_Image_File: Dancers perform during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

News_Image_File: A ballet dancer performs during the Closing Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics.