South America’s first edition of the Olympic Games should be remembered as a carnival of sport in a wonderfully picturesque city.

Throw in some of the most memorable sporting performances the world has seen and it is impossible not to give Rio de Janeiro a tick.

Yes, there were some negatives, but nothing on the scale that had been predicted.

It’s not exaggerating to say that before this Olympics started, many were expecting an unmitigated disaster.

Athletes, fans and media were walking into a crime zone, with a spate of muggings predicted, while the prospects of kidnappings and even murder couldn’t be discounted, especially after local police threatened to strike.

It was also meant to be a logistical minefield, with unfinished facilities, transport mayhem and general organisational chaos.

And that is not forgetting the frightening prospect of Zika, and the water quality issues for the marathon swimmers and sailors.

But Zika has proven to be a complete non-issue in Rio.

Ironically, Florida is currently issuing travel warnings for the disease.

The crime threat was overestimated; Rio is a dangerous city but no worse than many others and the presence of 85,000 security personnel created a safe environment.

The security presence has been high. Photo: Getty

The highlights

Rio has been a success.

It was never going to compete with London or Beijing, but compares favourably with Athens (2004) and Atlanta (1996).

The overriding memory of this Olympics will be the joy and enthusiasm that the locals have provided.

This country has problems – real problems – but that doesn’t stop Brazilians possessing a zest for life and a joie de vivre which is infectious.

The volunteers and staff have been fantastic while other locals, many of whom couldn’t afford to attend the Games, just hoped visitors would enjoy their city.

“Brazil doesn’t have a lot of things,” one taxi driver told me.

“But we have joy, we have fun. We know how to enjoy ourselves.”

Brazilians celebrate their football success. Photo: Getty

And some elements have superseded previous Games.

The central city rowing venue – with spectacular vistas – was far superior to the usual setting on a remote lake or river.

There has never been a better beach volleyball venue than the Copacabana Beach.

Rio also set a welcome precedent with their opening ceremony, proving a great show is possible without the outrageous, even grotesque, budgets of Beijing and London.

And what about the sport?

Usain Bolt captured the hearts of the Brazilian people and his ‘triple triple’ will never be seen again at Olympic level.

There was Michael Phelps, with a medal haul which has outstripped dozens of countries, still winning by similar margins of a decade ago.

There was American gymnast Simone Biles, the phenomenal British cyclists, Mo Farah, South African 400m world record breaker Wayde van Niekerk, the Fiji Sevens success, Shaunae Miller’s unforgettable dive to win and Brazil’s football victory at a sold-out Maracana.

Brazilian athletes also surpassed expectations, epitomised by pole vaulter Thiago Braz da Silva’s shock gold, which matched the hometown emotion of Cathy Freeman in Sydney or Michael Johnson in Atlanta, as he soared 11cm above his personal best to set a new Olympic record.

This photo quickly became iconic. Photo: Getty

The host nation took more gold and more medals than at any other Games in their history.

The Aussie angle

From an Australian perspective, Rio won’t be remembered fondly.

Our athletes didn’t perform as expected, with the worst medal return since 1992.

There are small margins, especially in the pool, with a fine line between first and fourth.

Away from the competition, there was highly publicised curfew breaches and the farcical accreditation tampering scandal.

Cate Campbell was one of the Aussies who didn’t live up to expectations. Photo: Getty

But if you take off your green-and-gold tinted glasses, Rio gets a pass.

At times, Brazilian fans were guilty of overstepping the mark, bringing a football tribe-like mentality to the Olympics.

It led to unsportsmanlike behaviour in some arenas – not in keeping with the Olympic spirit – as local supporters wouldn’t or couldn’t respect the demand for periods of silence in sports like equestrian, track and field, swimming and tennis when arch rivals were competing.

Another negative was the attendances, especially at the track and field, the worst in recent memory.

It was probably simply economic – as many Cariocas don’t have disposable income, especially at that level, but still unfortunate for the best athletes in the world.

But when it comes to the Rio Olympics, we didn’t get the Games we expected. Nowhere near it.

And that is a good thing.