Fireworks spell out “One World” during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, in Beijing on Feb 20. (LI GA / XINHUA)
With the Olympic flame extinguished following a farewell party, Beijing capped the 2022 Olympic Winter Games to resounding global acclaim on Feb 20 for bringing the world together through the power of sports at a challenging time.
As the first major international sporting event held on schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Winter Games concluded in a memorable way after International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach declared its closing, witnessed by President Xi Jinping at the iconic National Stadium in Beijing.
Fireworks project “One Family” in Chinese and English after spelling out “One World” at the closing ceremony. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (left) watches as Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala (center) and Cortina d’Ampezzo Mayor Gianpietro Ghedina hold the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony. The two cities in northern Italy will jointly host the 2026 Winter Olympics. (ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY)
The closing ceremony, which began at 8 pm on Feb 20 and featured artistic performances and athlete parades, brought the curtain down on an extensive display of thrilling sports action, friendship and mutual respect among 2,877 athletes from 91 national and regional Olympic committees at safe and well-organized Games, despite unprecedented challenges amid the pandemic.
During 19 days of outstanding performances on ice and snow, 17 Olympic records, including two world records, were broken, while gold medals were awarded in a record number of 109 events at the most gender-balanced Winter Games to date, where 45 percent of athletes were women.
Xu Mengtao waves the Chinese flag as she is carried by fellow Team China gold medal winner Gao Tingyu, as they lead world athletes into the National Stadium on Feb 20. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The Olympic rings are seen during the celebratory, snowflake-themed closing ceremony of the Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Highlighted by breakthroughs in snow sports, the host delegation bagged a national record haul of 15 medals, including nine gold, to finish third in the overall medal standings, its highest ever since China’s Winter Olympics debut at the 1980 Lake Placid Games in the United States.
With the world facing common challenges such as the rampaging Omicron variant of coronavirus and geopolitical tensions, the Chinese organizers’ relentless efforts to set up an equal stage for athletes to compete fiercely, yet live in peace and respect under one roof in a safe environment, earned appreciation from around the world.
The closing ceremony was a colorful event featuring stunning visuals and artistic displays and performances. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Athletes dance in a circle as they enter the stadium during the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
“You overcame these divisions, demonstrating that in this Olympic community we are all equal — regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or what we believe in,” Bach said during the closing ceremony. “This unifying power of the Olympic Games is stronger than the forces that want to divide us.
“The Olympic spirit could only shine so brightly because the Chinese people set the stage in such an excellent and safe way,” he added. “Our deepest thanks and gratitude go to the organizing committee, the public authorities and all our Chinese partners and friends. On behalf of the best winter sport athletes of the world, I say: Thank you, our Chinese friends.”
Italian artists at a performance themed ‘duality of city and mountains’ at the closing ceremony. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Children perform during the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Games. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
With the successful delivery of Beijing 2022, Beijing has made history as the first city ever to host both summer and winter editions of the Games.
Cai Qi, president of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee and Party secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, said, “The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 opens a new era for winter sports. It is yet another extraordinary example of humanity coming together for a shared future. The Olympic spirit will live on forever.”
The event’s closed-loop management, which required all Games participants to move only between their designated accommodation facilities and competition, training and working venues via official transportation that kept them separated from local communities, proved sound and effective.
A newly elected member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission presents souvenirs to six representatives of volunteers at the ceremony. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
“It was one of the safest places on the planet, if not the safest place, and this is a great achievement,” Bach said of the Winter Games’ closed loop at a news conference on Feb 18.
Although entering China with concerns about the strict COVID-19 protocols, many athletes have hailed their stay in Beijing as a reassuring experience that helped them focus on the competition.
As per the traditional protocol of such closing ceremonies, Chen Jining, the mayor of Beijing, handed the Olympic flag to IOC President Bach, who passed it to the mayors of the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, to raise the curtain on the next Winter Olympic Games, which will be hosted by Italy in 2026.
