Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe stole the show on Sunday night at the Olympics closing ceremony, taking to the stage in Rio dressed as Super Mario, arguably his country’s most famous export.

With the closing ceremony coming to an end, the governor of Tokyo accepted the Olympic flag as a symbol that the Games would be held there in four years.

The hand off led into a trailer for the Tokyo Olympics, culminating in the logo for 2020 being revealed and Mr Abe’s surprising cameo.

Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) took the stage during the Olympic's closing ceremony in Rio dressed as Super Mario on Sunday

The moment surprised those in Rio watching the closing ceremonies and those on Twitter who couldn't believe what they had witnessed

Shortly after the incredible moment, a performance culminated in the revealing of the logos for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games

However, as the trailer ended a clip of Mario barreling down a classic green tube was shown on screen. The lights came back on in the arena, showing Abe standing on a green warp tube dressed as Mario