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Dancers create the five Olympic rings during the closing ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia, on February 23. (photo: Yonhap News)
At the closing ceremony, participating athletes looked back on all the delightful memories the Sochi games had given them and looked forward to the next Winter Olympics slated to be held four years from now in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province), Korea, in February 2018.
Korean athletes, led by speed skater Lee Kyu-hyuk as flag bearer, who is a six-time Olympian, marched in the parade, showered with cheers from the audience.
The closing ceremony for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games features Russian literary colossuses Tolstoy, Pushkin and Dostoevsky (top), and a ballet performance by dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet (bottom), both internationally renowned Russian ballet companies. (photos: Yonhap News)
The closing celebrations highlighted Russia’s rich traditions. It was a grandiose party to show off Russian ballet, music, literature, arts, and even circuses, throughout the centuries.
As the ceremony continued, the Korean national anthem started resonating across the stadium as the Olympic flag was handed from Russia to Korea.
The Olympic flag was handed to Lee Seok-rae, mayor of Pyeongchang, who announced to the world that his city in 2018 will be the next host for the Winter Olympics.
Korean speed skater Lee Kyu-hyuk, as the flag bearer representing Korea, marches into the stadium holding the Taegeukgi during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games on February 23. (photo: Yonhap News)
Athletes, including the “Queen of Figure Skating,” Kim Yuna (third from right), and gold medalists Lee Sang-hwa (second from right) and Shim Suk-hee (right), wave to the audience during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games on February 23. (photo: Yonhap News)
Lee Seok-rae (right), mayor of Pyeongchang, waves the Olympic flag upon receiving it from Olympic President Thomas Bach (left) of the International Olympic Committee. (photo courtesy of the Korean Olympic Committee)
The handover ceremony of the Olympic flag was followed by a performance ushering in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
Korean dancers directed the eyes of the global audience to the next Olympic host city, Pyeongchang, with a dancing and singing extravaganza, symbolizing the city under three different themes: “The Rise of Pyeongchang,” “Pyeongchang’s Dreams that We Share,” and “A Journey to Open a New Chapter Together.”
Soprano Sumi Jo, jazz singer Nah Youn-sun and singer Lee Seung-chul were all part of the festivities, singing together “Arirang” as reinterpreted by pianist and composer Yang Bang-eun.
Children from the Dream Program’s Winter Sports Academy, a program designed by Pyeongchang organizers to help underprivileged children experience winter sports, performed the traditional ganggangsullae circle dance.
Korean athletes, including Kim Yuna, the “Queen of Figure Skating,” who won silver at the games, and two-time gold medalist Lee Sang-hwa, got into a festive mood, too, dancing and singing together.
Soprano Sumi Jo (right) and jazz singer Nah Youn-sun (left) sing “Arirang” during the closing ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. (photo courtesy of the Korean Olympic Committee)
Singer Lee Seung-chul (left), soprano Sumi Jo (right) and jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun (second from left) perform together during the closing ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. (photo: Yonhap News)
Korean athletes mingle together during a performance to announce Pyeongchang as the next host city of the Winter Olympics. (photo: Yonhap News)
The three-hour-long extravaganza drew to an end as, “Goodbye Sochi, hello Pyeongchang,” and, “See you in Pyeongchang,” appeared out of the rink.
The official logo for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics appears on the rink as the Olympic flag is handed from Russia to Korea. (photo: Yonhanp News)
The mascots of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics blow out the Olympic flame that has shone in Sochi for 17 days. (photo: Yonhap News)
The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games have wrapped up with a promise to meet again in Pyeongchang, the next Winter Olympic host city, in 2018. (photo: Yonhap News)
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr
