Europe 1 with AFP 5:31 p.m., February 20, 2022
Beijing concluded its Winter Olympics during a good-natured ceremony on Sunday in its famous "Bird's Nest", closing sixteen days of sporting exploits and a health bubble, before passing the baton to Milan and Cortina which will host the 2026 edition.
Beijing concluded its Winter Olympics during a good-natured ceremony on Sunday in its famous "Bird's Nest", closing sixteen days of sporting exploits and a health bubble, before passing the baton to Milan and Cortina which will host the 2026 edition. At around 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. French time), the Chinese national anthem kicked off the evening in a stadium with stands much louder and more restless than during the opening and lined with red lanterns .
The show quickly gave way to athletes with the entry of the flag bearers.
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The Austrian Johannes Strolz, an unexpected strong man in alpine skiing with three medals, and the Norwegian Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, three times titled in biathlon, had this honor, without forgetting the flag bearer of Samoa, again dressed in his traditional costume. , bare-chested and oiled despite the temperatures close to zero.
Gao Tingyu, who became the first Chinese to win an Olympic title in speed skating, carried on his shoulders Mengtao Xu, Olympic champion in freestyle jumping.
Ode to Joy
On Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the athletes of the 91 delegations then began their parade, medals around their necks for some, masks on their faces for all.
At the back of the pack, the arrival of Chinese athletes, who managed to win fifteen medals, a record for the country, caused the joy of the public.
The appearance on the screens of Eileen Gu, prodigy of freestyle skiing and big star of the fortnight, was particularly acclaimed in the stands, filled to around a third of their capacity due to health restrictions.
As during the opening ceremony, the French athletes stood out, this time by starting a joyful round, quickly joined by their Japanese and Austrian colleagues.
And the volunteers, who contributed to holding the Games without a hitch despite the controversies and calls for a boycott which had shaken up the preparations, were hailed by the newly elected member of the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the former - French biathlete Martin Fourcade.
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At the end of the evening, the athletes were able to have a taste of the festivities that await them in four years in Italy.
As required by protocol, the mayors of Milan and Cortina, host cities in 2026, received the Olympic flag from the hands of the mayor of Beijing through IOC President Thomas Bach.
Then the luminous Olympic rings rose into the sky as the Olympic flame that had been burning since February 4 was extinguished, giving the signal for a spectacular fireworks display.
See you on February 6, 2026 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan for the launch of the 25th Winter Olympics.