Winter Olympics closing ceremony: Recapping event as 2022 Beijing Games come to a close

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – which had its share of triumph and controversy – come to a close Sunday.

The Games are still reeling after 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete in the women's figure skating event, despite a positive drug test for a banned substance.

Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor will have a chance to wave the American flag at the closing ceremony after missing the opening ceremony due to COVID. Meyers Taylor will leave Beijing with a silver medal in the monobob and a bronze in the two-man bobsleigh.

After conclusion of the Games, the Winter Olympic torch will eventually make its way to Italy, where Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo are set to share hosting duties in 2026.

These Olympics were the second during the coronavirus pandemic and included strict countermeasures consistent with China’s zero-COVID policy, including daily testing, masking and frequent sanitization.

“If we want to finally overcome this pandemic, we must be fast, we must aim higher, we must be stronger, we must stand together. In this Olympic spirit of solidarity, we call on the international community: give equal access to vaccines to everybody around the world,” Bach said.