By Saphora SmithNBC
News
The Beijing Winter Olympics came to an end this Sunday to close an event that will go down in history both for the restrictions due to the coronavirus, geopolitical tensions, and for its exciting competitions and moving moments.
The closing ceremony at Beijing's famous Bird's Nest stadium began with dancing children holding snowflake lanterns and ended with songs and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
Then, snowflake-like lights floated above the stadium and fireworks lit up the night sky with the message: "One world, one family."
Inside the stadium, people celebrated with the song
Auld Lang Syne
, the traditional anthem for solemn moments.
The closing ceremonies, like the opening, were light events compared to the 2008 Summer Olympics also in Beijing.
The closing theme was children, Chinese tradition and ordinary people.
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics open
Feb. 4, 202200:22
[The jumps and tricks that athletes in the Beijing Winter Olympics are prohibited from performing]
The first part of the ceremony saw flag bearers from each participating country enter the stadium followed by jubilant athletes, many of whom had their phones in hand to capture the moment.
As an audience, there was a small but enthusiastic crowd of guests, as the organizers had announced that they would not sell tickets to the general public.
Closing of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.Getty Images
After becoming the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter competitions, Beijing has handed over to Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, which will host the 2026 Winter Games.
Two children, one from Cortina and one from Milan, rolled a globe on cracked ice, in what seemed to represent the fragile state of the planet.
The games were marked by strong geopolitical tensions: the US-led diplomatic boycott over allegations of human rights violations in China, tensions between Russia and Ukraine and the doping scandal involving a 15-year-old Russian figure skater.
The ceremony was directed by renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who also designed the opening ceremony as well as the lavish opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In a speech to conclude the games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach praised the athletes for their sporting prowess.
“Not only did they respect each other, they supported each other, they hugged each other, even though their countries are divided by conflict,” he said.
"May political leaders around the world be inspired by his example of solidarity and peace."
Bach also called on the international community to provide equal access to COVID-19 vaccines to everyone in the world.
"If we want to get through this pandemic, we must be faster, we must aim higher, we must be stronger, we must be together," he said.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will continue to compete in Beijing 2022
Feb. 14, 202200:24
Sunday's ceremony capped two weeks of drama, even as Olympic heroes were born and record books were rewritten.
For the United States, Erin Jackson became the first black woman to win a gold medal for the speed skating team.
The victory came after the athlete stumbled during the Olympic trials, and her friend and fellow figure skater Brittany Bowe offered Jackson her position in Beijing.
Nathan Chen also shone for the United States team.
He won gold in the men's singles figure skating, becoming the first Asian-American man to win an Olympic medal in the event.
American-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu, already a star before the games, earned hero status in China after scooping two gold and one silver medal for the host country.
There were also some more modest moments.
Skier Shaun White, the face of modern winter sports, ended his Olympic career in Beijing last week without a podium finish.
Closing of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Getty Images.
A doping scandal also plagued the games.
Last week, reports emerged that Russian prodigy figure skater Kamila Valieva had tested positive for a banned drug before the games.
The 15-year-old missed out on a second gold medal on Thursday and could lose the team gold if she is found to have committed a doping offence.
One of the topics that dominated coverage in the run-up to the games was
the Chinese government's treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group, described as genocide by the US government.
Beijing has repeatedly denied any mistreatment of the largely Muslim minority, insisting that its actions in the western Xinjiang region are aimed at combating terrorism.
At the opening ceremony, Chinese officials sent a defiant message to world leaders who have boycotted the games by choosing a Uyghur skier from Xinjiang to deliver the ceremonial flame, a moment that often carries symbolic weight.
The mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics is sold out in all stores
Feb. 13, 202200:24
Other noteworthy moments included a meeting between the International Olympic Committee's Bach and Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis player who disappeared from public view last year after apparently singling out a former government official for sexual assault.
In an interview with French newspaper
L'Equipe
during the games, Peng denied making the accusation.
A
L'Equipe
journalist who interviewed Peng later said he could not say for sure whether she was free and safe.
In addition, the concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine also permeated the Olympic Games.
The coronavirus pandemic, which broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan, also loomed over the event, with testing mix-ups and concerns about quarantine conditions adding another layer of stress to the athletes.
Some of them complained about the treatment and conditions inside Beijing's so-called quarantine hotels.
Norway, a country whose population is just over five million, led the medal table
, as it often does.
Russia ranked second, followed by Germany, Canada and the United States.
China won 15 medals, compared to Pyeongchang's nine in 2018.
As the lights go out on two weeks of Olympic drama, sports fans need not fear.
While these games are over, the Paralympic Games in Beijing are yet to come.
They begin on March 4 and end on the 13th of that same month.
