Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cosplays as Mario in Olympics closing ceremony

Mario made a surprise appearance in the closing ceremony for the Rio Olympics last night.

Tokyo will be the event’s host in 2020, and as is traditional the next host nation made an appearance at the colourful close.

Viewers were greeted with a short showing Mario using a device to tunnel an iconic green pipe through the centre of the earth to travel from Tokyo to Rio. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe then appeared, dressed as Mario, from a physical green pipe that was erected at the centre of the Olympic Stadium.

Mario quickly shed his dungarees and waved to the crowd. The green pipe remained a central feature of Tokyo’s short performance.

The Guardian has a video of the moment, while you can see the whole closing ceremony over on the BBC iPlayer.

Mario has a longstanding relationship with the Olympics, remember, thanks to the successful Mario & Sonic at the Olympics series.