Beijing, China (My Sportsbook) - The closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics brings to an end 16 days of competition at these Summer Games.

It was the biggest Olympics in more ways than one, with a record 204 nations represented by at least one athlete. More women participated than in any other Olympics in history, including 48 percent of the United States team.

There were more than 130 Olympic records broken in Beijing, and 43 world records passed -- including seven by U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps in the Water Cube pool and three by runner Usain Bolt in the Bird's Nest.

An Olympic-record 87 countries won at least one medal, including firsts for Afghanistan, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Togo. Bahrain, Mongolia and Panama, and India claimed its first individual gold.

The Games were popular around the world, especially with a formerly dwindling U.S. Olympic audience captivated by, among other things, Phelps' successful chase of the gold medal record for a single Games.

The Beijing Olympics were broadcast to more people in more regions than ever, the IOC said. It was the first Olympics to have global digital coverage.

There were positives in other areas, as well.

Despite IOC president Jacques Rogge's prediction at the start of the Olympics that there would be between 30 and 40 positive doping cases in Beijing, there were just six cheaters caught during the Games.

Of course, almost 40 were nabbed before the Olympics started.

And it wasn't for lack of testing: Under a stringent new plan, the IOC had performed more than 4,600 urine and blood tests through the end of last week, up from the 3,500 performed in Athens four years ago. There were 26 positive tests at the 2004 Olympics.

Spectators turned out across the board. And although attendance didn't quite reach the sold-out status that had been reported before the Olympics started, the numbers more than tripled from the beginning of the Games to the end, the IOC said.

There were unfortunate sporting incidents, the last and perhaps most serious coming when a Cuban athlete kicked a taekwondo referee in the face following a disqualification on Saturday night. But there were also plenty of positive examples of Olympism, especially between teams from the warring countries of Russia and Georgia.

Of course, outside the spectrum of athletics there were real-world issues. Despite the promise of designated protests areas, every application for demonstration was either denied or withdrawn.

Unauthorized protests, especially concerning China's contentious relation with Tibet, were dealt with swiftly by authorities. Journalists caught in the middle were roughed up.

But the Games unfolded without any major security issues, and the closing ceremony was set to feature a handover to the 2012 London Games -- where it's been said by many the British have a lot to live up to.

One of the highlights of the closing ceremony was to be the handing over of the Summer Games to London.

A quintessential red double-decker bus will be chased by gold medalist cyclists from Great Britain. It will turn into a stage, and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is expected to perform "Whole Lotta Love" with pop star Leona Lewis. Soccer star David Beckham is also due to be involved in the handoff.