'Thank you Paris for a great Olympics: we need positive stories that cross frontiers'

What a fantastic Olympic spectacle! Paris provided beautiful backdrops that will linger in the minds of all the competitors and spectators, from the triathlon swimming in the Seine, to the archery at the Esplanade des Invalides. And of course the Tour Eiffel straddling everything like a frozen rocket. The adrenaline rush of the canoeing .

.. and that mountain bike duel between Britain's Pidock and France’s Koretzky.

And I loved the new sports, like the kitesurfing, won by Katie Ellridge. Most of all I was transfixed by the breakdancing. Watching the final between Japan’s Ami Yuasa and Lithuania’s b-girl Nicka was mesmerising.

A dazzling blend of athleticism, rhythm, musicality, style, and joy. And the evident pleasure they took from each other’s performances was uplifting. The joy that so many competitors share was evident in many of the sports from pole-vaulting to the pentathlon.

I know it’s just sport but right now, in a difficult world, we really need positive happy stories that cross frontiers and celebrate humans at our best. Thank you France for a great Olympic games. The Olympics are over.

Phew! I’m relieved. The protracted closing - yawn - ceremony was weird. Also oddly underwhelming.

Perhaps my reaction to the whole shebang is down to sour grapes because none of my sports featured. Conspicuous by their absence were darts, shove-ha’penny, Morris dancing, marbles, egg and spoon, bagatelle, Ludo, well-dressing, unwell-dressing, tiddlywinks and the slow bic.