Rio said farewell to the Paralympics Sunday in a closing ceremony showcasing Brazil’s love for music and celebrating what many consider to have been a surprisingly successful Games.

The famous Maracana football stadium was packed, with the Paralympians themselves seated across the field, as proceedings kicked off with fireworks.

Among the first performers was Jonathan Bastos, a Brazilian who was born without arms but has became an accomplished musician, playing instruments with his feet. Then it was Ricardinho, star of Brazil’s gold medal winning five-a-side Paralympic football team, who brought out the national flag.

Later, a minute of silence was to be held for Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died Saturday in a crash during the road race.

Eleven days of competition where China dominated the medals table, followed by Britain, Ukraine and the United States, ended earlier Sunday with the last few events, including marathons and wheelchair rugby.

Organizers said they had pulled off an against-the-odds success in the Rio de Janeiro Games.

“Mission accomplished,” said Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee.

Referring to the political instability and deep recession weighing down Brazil as it put on South America’s first Olympics in August and then the Paralympics, he conceded that it had been “a mission of many doubts.”

Philip Craven, the International Paralympic Committee president, said the cyclist’s death “cast a dark shadow” but that overall “Rio 2016 will be remembered as a successful Paralympic Games and a Games that surprised many.”

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