TOKYO, Aug 28: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a star at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, parading before a sellout crowd at the Maracana Stadium as Nintendo game character Super Mario.
Abe�s humorous invitation to the next Olympics in Tokyo was a big hit among Brazilian fans, and to a worldwide television audience.
It turns out that Abe won�t be around �at least not in an official capacity� when the postponed Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021.
He announced on Friday he intends to step down because of a chronic health problem.
Ironically, Japan�s longest serving prime minister would have been in the VIP box alongside International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach had the games opened as scheduled a month ago and not fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. � AP