The much-talked-regarding journey of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, held amid the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic, came to an end on the 20th. The closing ceremony held at the Beijing National Stadium was held on the 4th, just like the opening ceremony. As on that day, only public officials and other spectators invited and permitted by the Chinese government came in and enjoyed their festival, waving the five-star flag.
Following the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony was directed by the great director Zhang Yimou. The children who danced with snowflakes at the opening ceremony announced the arrival of spring with Chinese lanterns instead of snowflakes. The sprout that appeared at the opening ceremony turned into a willow tree to soothe the regret of parting. In China, the willow symbolizes parting. The video of the stadium showed a hug between Oleksandr freestyle skiers Abramenko (Ukraine) and Ilya Burov (Russia), who melted the cold tension between Russia and Ukraine on the night of the 16th. And the video of tears and hugs, joy and sorrow of countless players continued, promising four years later. The next Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina, Italy in 2026.
“Athletes have proven that the power of unity is stronger than the power of division,” said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. “I hope that world political leaders will be inspired by their solidarity and peace.”
On this day, the riders of 91 countries entered in free dress and order according to the march song. As many players returned to Korea to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there were not many players. In some cases, volunteers embarked on behalf of the country they returned to with flags. However, the remaining players took commemorative photos and sometimes burned each other’s lanterns to make memories. South Korea’s Cha Min-kyu, who became the first person to win two consecutive silver medals in the men’s 500m speed skating, took the jockey.
A cross-country mass start award ceremony was held at the closing ceremony. Therese Jocheu (Norway) won the gold medal in the women’s 30km race and Alessandro Bolshnov (Russia) in the men’s 50km race. As Russia, who won the gold medal, participated as a member of the Russian Olympic Committee under IOC disciplinary action, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.
Beijing Dongsoon Choi reporter dosool@hankookilbo.com