WRAPUP 1-London bids adieu with musical madness, US tops table

* Olympic Games end with exuberant musical celebration

* Olympic chief calls London Games "happy and glorious"

* The Who, Spice Girls, Take That among performers

* Huge cheers from packed stadium for volunteers

* United States tops China at head of medals table

LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - London bade a flamboyant and

madcap farewell to the Olympic Games with a romp through British

pop and fashion, bringing the curtain down on more than two

weeks of action that ended with America topping the sporting

world with 46 gold medals.

There was another sellout crowd at the 80,000-capacity

athletics stadium in east London late on Sunday for the final

act of the tournament, and 300 million people were expected to

tune in on televisions around the world.

Actor Timothy Spall read from Shakespeare's "The Tempest"

dressed as war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and after

a London "rush hour" featuring real cars and trucks, Prince

Harry entered to represent his grandmother Queen Elizabeth.

The Spice Girls, Take That and George Michael were among the

acts taking part in an exuberant finale that sought to sum up

Britain's enthusiasm for the Games despite reservations about

the 9 billion pound ($14 billion) cost.

During a special eight-minute segment, the stadium was

bathed in the colours and sounds of Brazil, as the Olympics

looked ahead to 2016 when Rio de Janeiro is the host city.

But on Sunday and into the early hours of Monday it was time

for London to say goodbye, and comedian Stephen Fry summed up

the mood of many when he took to Twitter and wrote: "I don't

want it to end *sob* *stamps foot*"

The circus-style ceremony was set to a British soundtrack of

the last 50 years, featuring classic songs by Queen, the Kinks,

the Beatles, Pink Floyd and more, and specially designed "pixel

boxes" on every seat provided a spectacular light show.

It was always going to be a celebration for those in the

stadium, rather than the showcase of the opening ceremony that

featured a movie cameo by the queen and was a tribute to British

history, culture and society in a message to the world.

NEXT GENERATION

The Who had the final word with "My Generation", an echo of

the London 2012 motto which was "Inspire a Generation" as

organisers and the government strive to ensure a lasting legacy

that goes beyond expensive white elephants and unpaid bills.

Fulfilling promises of a "cheeky" and "cheesy" close, Eric

Idle of Monty Python sang "Always Look on the Bright Side of

Life", there was a giant inflatable octopus and a real-life

human cannon ball flew through the air.

The Olympic flag was handed to Eduardo Paes, Rio's mayor,

before International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge

described the London Games as "happy and glorious" and declared

them closed - the words taken from Britain's national anthem to

the queen.

The Olympic Flame was extinguished, fireworks filled the

sky, the athletes walked off and Britain prepared to return to

the reality of an economic recession temporarily buried in the

inside pages of the newspapers.

The main stadium was the setting for some of the most

spectacular moments of the Games, including Jamaican sprint king

Usain Bolt defending the 100, 200 and 4x100 metres titles he won

in Beijing, the latter in a world-beating time.

British supporters will also cherish memories of the venue,

where Somali-born runner Mo Farah won the 5,000 and 10,000

double to deafening roars and was celebrated as a symbol of the

capital's multi-culturalism.

The hosts won 29 golds to take third place in the rankings,

their best result for 104 years, helping lift a nation beset by

severe spending cuts and worried about social stability a year

after violent riots swept parts of the capital.

U.S. President Barack Obama called British Prime Minister

David Cameron to congratulate the country on what he called "an

extremely successful Olympic games, which speaks to the

character and spirit of our close ally".

PHENOMENAL PHELPS

Many will remember London 2012 for the record-breaking

exploits of American swimmer Michael Phelps, who took his

life-time medal haul to 22 including 18 golds, making him the

most decorated Olympian in history.

His tally helped the United States to the top of the Olympic

table with 46 golds to second-placed China's 38, reversing the

order of the Beijing Games in 2008.

There was, of course, Bolt, the biggest name in athletics

and a charismatic ambassador for sprinting.

After winning the 4x100 he went on to a London nightclub to

delight dancing fans with a turn as a DJ, shouting out "I am a

legend" to the packed dancefloor.

Britons may recall Andy Murray demolishing world number one

Roger Federer at Wimbledon to win the men's singles tennis gold,

while Jessica Ennis, the "poster girl" of the Games, won the

women's heptathlon on the first "super Saturday".

Despite concerns about the creaky transport system and a

shortfall of private security guards, which forced the

government to call in thousands of extra troops to help screen

visitors, the Games passed by fairly trouble-free.

A furore over empty seats at several Olympic venues blew

over, especially once the track and field showcase kicked in and

drew capacity crowds for virtually every session.

Even the weather improved as the Games wore on. Bright

sunshine graced the closing weekend of a festival that has

helped to lift spirits in Britain.

TRIUMPH, TRAUMA

It was not all about triumph, however. Many tears shed by

athletes and the public were of sorrow, not joy, as medals were

narrowly missed and controversial decisions left athletes

convinced they were wronged.

At the closing ceremony, a highlights video reel included

images of South Korea's Shin A Lam alone and distraught on the

fencing piste after a timekeeping error contributed to her

defeat in an epee semi-final.

China's hero Liu Xiang suffered heartache again after

crashing into the first barrier of the 110 sprint hurdles four

years after he withdrew from the heats in Beijing due to injury.

Eight Asian badminton players were controversially expelled

from the Games after not trying hard enough to win matches,

having broken the spirit, but not the rules of their sport.

And China bowed out of the Games with a swipe at the critics

who accused teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen of doping after

her times rivalled the top U.S. men.

Aged just 16, Ye set a world record, a Games record and won

two gold medals in the women's individual medleys, but her

victories were overshadowed by questions and insinuations of

cheating. There was no evidence that she had broken any rules.

The head of the Chinese delegation to London, Liu Peng, said

the accusations were totally unfounded.

"This is really unfair. This is groundless," Liu told a news

conference on Sunday. "There are individuals and media that are

accusing, unfounded, our Chinese athletes."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wrapup-1-london-bids-adieu-musical-madness-us-002512523--sector.html

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