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Cyril Ip

Jack Lau

After two incredible weeks of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, it’s all finally coming to an end.
The Games will officially finish at the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium with a closing ceremony at 8pm on Sunday.
As with February 4’s opening ceremony, this showpiece will be helmed by famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, who is planning to put on a display that embodies the mantra of “simple, safe and splendid” – as with the rest of these Games, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here are five things to watch out for at the ceremony.

Simplicity first
The ceremony will continue with the theme of simplicity, according Yan Jiarong, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Games organisers.
She said it would not be an extravaganza, but we can certainly anticipate hearing the popular Beijing 2022 theme song Together for a Shared Future.
“The closing ceremony will be focused on the athletes, because this is their celebration after intense training and competition,” Yan said.
She said some components would also highlight Beijing’s status as the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games – an achievement Chinese state media have used to promote these Winter Olympics.

Snowflakes for a common destiny
Chief lighting designer Sha Xiaolan has revealed the “community of common destiny” – an oft-repeated phrase, which is also included in the Chinese Communist Party’s constitution – will be highlighted by the performance featuring nearly 1,000 actors.
The snowflake motif seen during the opening ceremony – which was used to symbolise global unity, particularly with the Olympic cauldron – will also make a return on Sunday night.


A reluctant farewell
This is the theme the creative team are hoping to leave viewers with at the end of the night.
“We wanted to bring the warmth of a reluctant goodbye to the rest of the world,” Sha told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
“So we used red as the base tone for the closing ceremony and hung nearly 20,000 lanterns in the stands to bring the audience into this interactive performance.”

The closing flame
The creative team has said the extinguishing of the Olympic cauldron will call back to the opening ceremony.
“The snowflake will be darkened layer by layer, until the torch at the centre is the only thing lit. That torch will be the last to be extinguished,” Sha told Beijing News.
“After a brief moment, the snowflake will reappear, symbolising that the Olympic flame and the Olympic spirit will continue to spread in the name of ice and snow.”

Next hosts for 2026 Games
The next co-hosts of the Winter Games, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, will also give a teaser for what is to come.
After Beijing mayor Chen Jining passes the Olympic flag to his counterparts for the 2026 Winter Olympics, via International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, a 10-minute performance will begin.
It will be mainly about the harmony of humanity and nature, according to Lida Castelli, the artistic director of the segment. Only a few performers will take part, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the belief that “less is more”.
Among the performers for the segment are Milan-born singer Malika Ayane and violinist Giovanni Andrea Zanon, said Marco Balich, the creative director of Olympic ceremonies for the 2026 Olympics.
The 2026 Games will be the first Olympics to have two official host cities.


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Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Winter Olympics: five things to watch out for at the Beijing 2022 closing ceremony

The Olympic flame burning in the centre of the snowflake-shaped cauldron is on display near the National Stadium at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo: AP

Zhang Yimou runs with the torch during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Torch Relay at the Olympic Forest Park. Photo: Xinhua/Jia Haocheng

A boy walks past the Olympic cauldron outside the Badaling International Convention Centre during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

A child skis at an alpine skiing resort in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Photo: Xinhua/Liu Yongqiu

Winter Olympics: magical China pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong ‘skate out of a dream’ to give hosts ninth gold medal

China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong go through their brilliant routine on their way to gold in the figure skating pairs event. Photo: EPA-EFE

Sui Wenjing (left) and Han Cong with the national flag after their triumph. Photo: Xinhua

The China entourage celebrate victory for Sui Wenjing and Han Cong. Photo: EPA-EFE

Russia’s Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov put on a spectacular routine in the pairs figure skating. Photo: EPA-EFE

Sweden’s Niklas Edin celebrates winning the curling gold medal. Photo: Xinhua

New Zealand’s Nico Porteous with his gold medal. Photo: Xinhua

Winter Olympics: US figure skaters file legal challenge to force IOC to award medals before end of Games

Team USA celebrate on the podium after winning silver in the figure skating mixed team competition. Photo: DPA

The US team applaud their teammate Nathan Chen (seated left) after he took the lead in the men’s singles short programme of the team event. Photo: EPA-EFE

Russia’s 15-year-old Kamila Valieva performs at the Beijing Olympics. Photo: Reuters

Winter Olympics: the creative, cartoonish and sometimes awful mascots that have represented host cities

Bagpipers and Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot for the 2022 Winter Olympics, perform before men’s curling bronze medal game between Canada and the United States. Photo: Reuters

People queue up for Bing Dwen Dwen merchandise at a souvenir shop at the Main Press Centre in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

The London 2012 Olympic mascot Wenlock poses with the Band of Irish Guard at Heathrow airport Terminal 5 in June, 2012. Photo: AP

FILE - Gold medallist Yulia Stupak, of the Russian Olympic Committee, cradles a Bing Dwen Dwen after the women’s 4 x 5km relay cross-country skiing competition. Photo: AP

Beijing 2022: the 8 best-dressed athletes at the Winter Olympics, from Japan’s ‘Ice Prince’ Yuzuru Hanyu to snowboarding legend Shaun White of the US

(220210) -- BEIJING, Feb. 10, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Hanyu Yuzuru of Japan performs during the figure skating men single skating free skating of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Paul Poirier (left) and Piper Gilles, of Canada, rock dazzling orange jumpsuits as they perform their routine during the ice dance competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan wears a blue-and-white number glittering with rhinestones for his figure skating short programme. Photo: Xinhua

South Korea’s speed skating team wore outfits that paid tribute to their country’s flag with splashes of red and blue on white. Photo: Xinhua/Li Yibo

US snowboarder Shaun White’s outfit was designed by Volcom. Photo: Kyodo

Madison Hubbell (left) and Zachary Donohue of the USA wore daring black outfits during their figure skating routine. Photo: EPA-EFE

Figure skaters Misato Komatsubara (left) and Tim Koleto paid homage to their home country, Japan, with kimono-inspired outfits. Photo: Xinhua

Figure skaters Liu Xinyu (left) and Wang Shiyue of China wore delicately embroidered outfits. Photo: Xinhua

US-born Filipino skier Asa Miller turned heads in a geometric red, blue, and white ski suit. Photo: Xinhua

Winter Olympics: Chinese figure skating pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong win gold with another world record – day 15, as it happened

China’s Sui Wenjing (left) and Han Cong celebrate winning the gold medal in the pairs figure skating. Photo: AFP


Sport

China

Beijing Winter Games 2022

Features

Famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou will return with another epic performance as Games officially come to a close
Simplicity first is the plan, according to organisers – and keep an eye out for more snowflakes


Famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou will return with another epic performance as the Beijing 2022 Games officially come to a close on Sunday evening.


Chen Jining