Emma McKeon in surprise twist as athletes booted in chaotic scenes at Olympics closing ceremony

She may not have carried the Australian flag, but Emma McKeon was still handed a huge honour for the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Sunday night. Many were left wondering why McKeon didn't get the nod as Kaylee McKeown and Matt Wearn were chosen to carry the flag for the closing ceremony in Paris.

McKeon is Australia's most decorated athlete having won her sixth gold medal (and 14th overall) at the Paris Games. It took her out of a tie with the legendary Ian Thorpe and gave her the most gold medals of an Australian athlete in Olympics history.

Because the swimming program started straight away, she wasn't able to carry the flag for the opening ceremony. With that in mind and the fact she's now retiring from swimming, many predicted McKeon would get the nod for the closing ceremony.

But Chef de Mission Anna Meares went with McKeown and Wearn instead, admitting she found it an extremely difficult decision to overlook McKeon. The call sparked backlash on social media, with many questioning what more McKeon has to achieve to carry the flag.

But fans were pleasantly surprised on Sunday night when McKeon appeared on stage during the official speeches for the closing ceremony. The Australian swimmer was chosen to represent Oceania alongside a number of other athletes during speeches from French president Emmanuel Macron and IOC boss Thomas Bach.

One athlete was chosen from each of the five regions represented by the Olympic rings - the Americas, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe. The others were Mijain Lopez of Cuba, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, Cindy Ngamba of the Refugee Olympic Team, Sun Yingsha of China and Teddy Riner of France.

Athletes kicked off stage during Olympics closing ceremony

Meanwhile, there were chaotic scenes during the ceremony when athletes got a little carried away and had to be escorted off the stage. With French band 'Phoenix' performing, hundreds of athletes stormed the stage to dance and celebrate.

But officials took a dim view of the revelry and kicked them off. "Please get down from the stage," an announcement said. "DEAR ATHLETES, PLEASE LEAVE THE STAGE. Thank you very much."

On Channel 9, Leila McKinnon said: "We've had a bit of a rebellion in the Olympic Stadium. Eddie McGuire added: "It's the right place for a revolution, no doubt about it."

Jessica Fox introduced as new member of Athletes Commission

And McKeon wasn't the only Australian athlete honoured, with Jessica Fox introduced to the 80,000-strong crowd as one of the new members of the IOC Athletes Commission. The canoeist, who won two gold medals in Paris, was among four Olympians picked on Thursday by their peers to represent athletes at the IOC for the next eight years.

RELATED:

• Aussie athletes produce brilliant gesture amid backlash for Raygun

• Aussie swimming heroes go public with heartbreaking revelation

"With the term running through to Brisbane 2032, that is fantastic for us as a host nation to ensure that the athlete experience is at the heart of the Olympic movement right into that Brisbane runway," Fox said. "The next steps are Los Angeles (2028) and debriefing Paris with the commission.

"I am very excited to raise the issues that are important to the athletes. The athlete experience at these Paris Games has been excellent with innovations like the Champions Park, bringing the community and the fans together with the athletes. I am just in a little disbelief about these Olympics, it has been quite the rollercoaster, but it's just a huge honour to join the IOC family."

The Aussie athletes were in an understandably buoyant mood as they danced on the popular track 'Freed from Desire', as thousands of the world's best bounced up and down in unison to the Gala hit. Australia is bringing home a record 18 gold medals - the fourth-highest tally of any nation at the Games - and 53 total medals - our most at an overseas Olympics and only second to the tally from Sydney 2000.

with AAP