Olympics: Games end with chief's anti-drugs message

8.25am UPDATE- By KEVIN NORQUAY

ATHENS - After welcoming the Olympic Games back home for the first time in 108 years, Greece tonight bade them a joyous farewell at a colourful closing ceremony at Olympic Stadium.

On a high after turning on a stunning Olympics to defy those who predicted Greece would fall on its face, Athens celebrated its success with a blaze of fireworks and pointed the Games in the direction of Beijing, hosts in 2008.

Olympic Stadium went into party mode as Greece waved goodbye to billions of television viewers worldwide, and thanked 10,500 athletes from 202 countries for the show they turned on over the past 16 days.

Moments before declaring the Games closed, International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge stopped short of declaring Athens "the best ever", instead delivering a stern anti-drugs message.

More than 20 athletes tested positive for banned drugs at the Games.

"These were the Games where it became increasingly difficult to cheat, and where clean athletes were better protected," he said to loud applause.

Rogge skirted the issue of whether Athens were the best Games ever, as Sydney was rated in 2000.

"These Games were unforgettable, dream Games."

Athletes took advantage of the chance to wind down after the pressure of competition, with the floor of the graceful Olympic Stadium turning into track-suited mayhem.

Pre-Games headlines predicting incomplete venues and slapdash security were laughed off as Greece, one of the smallest countries to host an Olympics, stood on the dais of a success.

Olympic Stadium was turned into a giant wheat field, filled with Greek dancers and singers, with the familiar Zorba the Greek refrain ringing out once again after 16 days of saluting medallists.

Sport reared its head one last time as the medallists in the men's marathon were honoured in the last medal ceremony of the Games.

The crowd saved a huge roar for bronze medallist Vanderlei Lima, the Brazilian who was crash-tackled into the crowd by a crazed spectator when leading late in the arduous race.

Athletes then took centre stage, with golden cyclist Sarah Ulmer marching the New Zealand flag into the arena with flagbearers from across the world, followed by a flood of exuberant sports stars.

The other four New Zealand gold medallists -- triathlete Hamish Carter, and rowers Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell -- could be seen celebrating with their peers.

Kayaker Steve Ferguson and basketballer Sally Farmer were also visible among the frolicking athletes.

Rogge told the athletes they were role models who must spread the message of the Olympic Games.

"Promote respect for others and above all promote clean sport," he said.

"Give back to sport what sport has given to you. And now in accordance with tradition I declare the Games of the 28th Olympiad closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in Beijing.

"Thank you Athens, thank you Greece."

An avalanche of balloons from a night sky lit by a full moon, then the stadium was lit up by a blaze of fireworks.

Athens passed the Olympic torch on to Beijing for the 2008 Games, after Chinese film director Zhang Yimou moved the focus on to "Chinese heritage and youth culture".

- NZPA