LET THE GAMES...END

Turin bid farewell to its Olympics and handed over custody of the Winter Games to Vancouver in a spectacular, circus-like closing ceremony Sunday night, with a legion of clowns, acrobats and daredevils echoing both the misadventures and magnificence of the past two weeks.

The Olympic flame was barely extinguished when fireworks and confetti -- an Italian invention -- filled the air. Any wistfulness was swiftly submerged in the din, some of it provided by Latin pop sensation Ricky Martin; athletes joined the cast in dancing on the stage.

The theme of the evening was Carnevale, the annual festival being celebrated across Italy over the weekend. Some athletes wore red clown noses as they marched across the huge stage of Olympic Stadium, and many of the 35,000 spectators donned devil and angel masks.

The crowd exploded in cheers and waved a sea of tiny Italian flags as Giorgio di Centa, who took gold in the 50km cross-country skiing race on the final day of the games and his fellow medalists strode to the podium.

The spotlight then shifted to Vancouver, host of the 2010 Games, with the raising of Canada's Maple Leaf flag.

photo: Patrick B. Kraemer/SI