The 2004 Olympic Games drew to a close tonight with as a spectacular closing ceremony got under way in Athens.
The main Olympic stadium was turned into a huge wheatfield to mark the opening of the ceremony with traditional Greek music and dance to follow.
Following a passionate rendition of Zorba's Dance, a packed crowd witnessed the medal ceremony for the marathon after which the athletes arrived.
Unfortunately that last event of the Games was marred by former Irish priest Cornelius Horan pushing Brazil's Vanderlei de Lima off the road when he was leading at the time. Lima eventually took the bronze medal.
After all the athletes are paraded into the arena some 250,000 balloons will cascade from a night sky filled with fireworks. And despite various doping scandals and relatively poor attendance figures, the 2004 Olympics have been well received.
"The Games have been a great success," said International Olympic Committee spokesman Giselle Davies.
And although a steady stream of failed drugs tests along with a number of protests against results on technical grounds threatened to undermine the Olympics, the spiritual home of the Olympics put on a fine show as hosts for the duration of the Games.
Pre-Games fears over construction and security proved groundless and the two-week extravaganza had many highlights, including Cian O'Connor winning the gold medal for Ireland in the Show jumping final.
And as the 28th Olympiad in Athens draws to a close, China will take over the baton with the Olympic flame beginning its journey to the 2008 Games in Beijing.