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The Beijing Winter Olympics is about to close with a grand ceremony


Team China is seen in the athletes’ parade at the opening ceremony, Beijing 2022 Olympics, National Stadium, Beijing, China, February 4, 2022.

Phil Noble | Reuters

The Beijing Winter Olympics came to a close on a Sunday, the end of the Olympics that will go down in history because of coronavirus restrictions and geopolitical tensions, as well as their nail-biting competitions and emotional moments .

Closing ceremony at Beijing’s famous Bird’s Nest Stadium, opens with dancing children holding snowflake lanterns and ends with singing and the extinguishing Olympic flame.

Then, snowflakes rose above the stadium and fireworks lit up the night sky with the message: “One world, one family.” Inside, people celebrated on the stadium floor as the song “Auld Lang Syne” played.

The closing ceremony, like the opening ceremony, was a simplified event compared to the 2008 summer games, with an emphasis on children, Chinese traditions, and ordinary people.

Earlier in the ceremony, Flag bearers representing the participating countries entered the stadium, followed by athletes, many of whom were jubilantly clutching their phones to capture the moment. A handful of guests watched enthusiastically after the organizers announced they would not be selling tickets to the public.

After becoming the first city in the world to host both summer and winter competitions, Beijing has awarded the rights to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, which will host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Two children, one from Cortina and the other from Milan, then rolled a globe through the cracked ice, in what seemed to represent the fragile state of the planet.

The capital of China has the strictest level coronavirus restrictions not yet for Games marked with US-led diplomatic boycott on China’s human rights record, Russia-Ukraine tensionand a famous doping story involving 15 year old skate phenom.

The ceremony was directed by renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who also designed the opening ceremony, as well as the luxurious opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In his closing remarks to the Games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach praised the sportsmanship of the athletes.

“You not only respect each other but also support each other, and embrace each other, even when your countries are divided by conflict,” he said. “May political leaders around the world be inspired by your example of solidarity and peace.”

Bach also called on the international community to have equal access to Covid vaccines for everyone in the world.

“If we want to finally get through this pandemic, we have to be faster, we have to aim higher, we have to be stronger, we have to stand together,” he said.

Sunday’s ceremony limited to two weeks of drama even as Olympic heroes were born and record books were rewritten.

Nathan Chen of Team USA reacts during Men’s Singles Free Skating on day six of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2022.

Matthew Stockman | Getty Images Sport | beautiful pictures

For the United States, Erin Jackson has become First black woman to win Team America Gold medal in speed skating. Victory came after she stumbled in the Olympic trials, and her friend and skater Brittany Bowe offered Jackson a spot in Beijing.

Nathan Chen also shines for Team USA. He won a gold medal in men’s singles figure skating, becoming the first Asian-American to win an Olympic medal in the event.

Already a star participating in the Olympics, US-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu won the title of hero in China after pocket two gold medals and one silver for the host country.

There are some even more humbling moments.

Snowboarder Shaun WhiteThe face of modern winter sports, closed his Olympic career in Beijing last week without being able to step onto the podium.

A protracted scandal also affected the Olympics. Last week, report emerged that Russian figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned heart drug before the Olympics. The 15-year-old missed her second gold medal on Thursday, and could lose her gold in the team event if she is found guilty of doping.

Kamila Valieva of the Republic of China Team skating in the Women’s Singles Skating Short Program on day eleven of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium on February 15, 2022 in Beijing, China.

Matthew Stockman | beautiful pictures

One of the themes that govern coverage during the Olympics is The Chinese government’s treatment of ethnic Uighurs, described by the United States government as genocide. Beijing has repeatedly denied any mistreatment of its Muslim minority, and asserted that its actions in the western region of Xinjiang are aimed at combating terrorism.

During the opening ceremony, Chinese officials issued a message challenging world leaders to boycott the Olympics. by choosing a Uyghur cross-country skier from Xinjiang to deliver the ceremonial flame, a moment that often carries symbolic weight.

Other notable moments include a meeting between Bach, of the IOC, and Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis player disappeared from public view last year after appearing to accuse a former top government official of sexual assault. In a supervised interview with French newspaper L’Equipe during the Olympics, Peng denied making the allegation.

A L’Equipe journalist who interviewed Peng later said he couldn’t say for sure if she was really free and safe.

Besides, Russia gathers troops on the border with Ukraine pierce the Olympic bubble.

The coronavirus pandemic, which first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan, also enveloped the Olympics, with testing confusion and concerns about quarantine conditions adding an extra layer of stress to athletes. member was already worried. Athletes and their teams complain about treatment and standards inside Beijing’s so-called quarantine hotel.

Norway, which has a population of less than 5 million, led the way in medals as usual. Russia is second, followed by Germany, Canada and the United States. China has won 15 medals, compared with nine in Pyeongchang in 2018.

As the lights fade into the two-week Olympic drama, sports fans should fear not. While these Games may be over, Olympics in Beijing is still ahead.

They start on March 4 and end on March 13.



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