(VOVWORLD) -After more than two weeks of breathtaking competition, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Sunday evening closed with a magnificent, colorful ceremony at the Bird's Nest national stadium in Beijing.
Colorful national stadium during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Photo: Xinhua
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach were among the attendants.
The closing ceremony embodied the idea that Beijing is the first city in the world to host both the Summer Olympics 2008 and Winter Olympics in 2022. The 90-minute ceremony continued the story told at the opening ceremony, featuring the beauty of the host country and the Chinese people's affection for both summer and winter Olympics. The red color represented China sending a heart-warming message to the world and the blue represented ice and snow. About 20,000 lanterns, a cultural feature of China, were used, adding to brilliance of the closing ceremony. A LED display of more than 10,000 square meters which was used for the first time, demonstrated China's unparalleled technological innovation.
Norway topped the leader board of Beijing Olympics with a total of 37 medals, including 16 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 13 bronze medals. Germany came second with 12 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 5 bronze medals. The host team China finished third with 9 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals.