8月29日晚，熊熊燃烧了17天的雅典奥运会圣火终于在欢乐的海洋中场渐渐熄灭。随着富有中国特色的京剧和民歌《茉莉花》旋律在现场的响起，奥运圣火又将重新出发，前往它新的目的地——北京。外电报道如下：Fireworks and spectacular lighting kicked off the closing ceremony Sunday night, a two-hour extravaganza of folk dancing and music in the Olympic tradition that summed up the glee and relief the games brought to Greece. Afterward, thousands of athletes marched into Olympic stadium, waving their arms and flags, snapping photos of each other, hugging, and basking in the cheers of 70,000 fans. Extravaganza在此表示“铺张华丽的表演，盛典，盛事”，此外还有“荒诞剧，滑稽剧，狂文，幻想曲”等意思，有时还会表示“豪华饰物”。
