Seoul [South Korea]: The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics concluded with a spectacular closing ceremony here on Sunday.
The grand event, which commenced on February 25 with the two Koreans marching under a unified flag, ran through 17 days and saw 2,920 athletes competing from 92 nations.
In the closing ceremony, the Olympic flag was handed over to Chinese organisers for the next Winter Games in Beijing in 2022.
Praising the PyeongChang Olympics, the event organiser said that the Games brought the world together “in peace and harmony,” reported the Yonhap News Agency.
“In PyeongChang, the world became one,” said Lee Hee-beom, head of the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
He added, “Transcending the differences of race, religion, nation, and gender, we smiled together, cried together, and shared friendship together.”
South Korean hip-hop songstress CL and popular boy band Exo took the stage in the rousing ceremony and congratulated athletes for their hard work and victories.
The Pyeongchang Olympics were the second ever to be held on the Korean Peninsula, and were first Winter Games here.
Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, while Beijing will welcome the countries for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
With the 2022 Games, Beijing will become the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games after hosting the Summer Games in 2008. (ANI)