Beijing Winter Olympics are over

Image: Cross-country skier Ádám Kónya with the Hungarian flag at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 20, 2022. MTI / Tamás Kovács

The flame lit on February 4 went out on Sunday, February 20, officially ending the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Due to the pandemic, only about 60,000 spectators were admitted to the 80,000-seat Bird's Nest Stadium for the Sunday evening ceremony.

The program, with the motto "one world, one family," lasted nearly an hour and a half. As part of the celebration, the most memorable and most dramatic moments of the Olympics were brought to life on the giant screens.

The host of the games due in four years, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, also made their debut. The Italian organizers ceremoniously took over the Olympic flag from Beijing. The 2026 Games will be about the harmony of humanity and nature, and their program will be called "duality, together." It will be the first Olympics to be officially hosted by two cities and in two different provinces, Lombardy and Veneto.

Norway finished at the top of the medal tally with a record-breaking 16 gold medals. Representatives from a total of 29 countries won medals in the Chinese capital.

Hungary finished in 20th place, with short track speed skater Liu Shaoang's gold on 500 meters, bronze on 1000 meters, as well as the mixed relay's third place.

The 2022 Winter Paralympics will begin on Friday, March 4 and ends on Sunday, March 13.

Source: MTI