Winter Olympics closing ceremony draws curtain on Games

DW News · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Skip next section Ceremony done and dustedFebruary 22, 2026Ceremony done and dustedA few more musical acts wrap up a ceremony that’s had opera, dance, DJs, flag waving, medals and some IOC speeches. The ceremony was certainly authentically Italian and the Verona Arena played its part, an evocative venue for the occasion. After 17 days, 2900 athletes, 116 gold medals and 150 minutes of closing ceremony, the flame is extinguished and the Winter Olympics moves on to the French Alps for 2030. That’s it for us, too. Thanks for reading. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpdSkip next section 2026 Olympics officially closedFebruary 22, 20262026 Olympics officially closedKirsty Coventry takes to the lectern to congratulate volunteers, athletes and her own organization for a successful Games. The general consensus is that it has, indeed, been a success despite a number of political challenges for the IOC. They will likely face more in Los Angeles at the next summer Games in 2028. "The Olympic Games will continue to be the space where athletes can inspire the world through sport freely, safely and proudly," she said before declaring the Games closed and seeing the Olympic flame extinguished. Then we’re quickly back to the high opera that we started with to extinguish the light in a figurative sense, too. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpcSkip next section Winter Olympics officially pass to FranceFebruary 22, 2026Winter Olympics officially pass to FranceIOC President Kirsty Coventry enters, along with various other dignitaries, behind the Olympic flag. She’s all smiles despite a tough first Games in charge, where her tearful response to her organization banning Ukraine skeleton athlete Vladyslav will likely be the enduring memory of her.Ukraine's skeleton star slams Olympic ban over helmetTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The flag is passed to a pair of beaming representatives from France, who will host the next Winter Olympics in the French Alps in 2030. The French flag is then raised to a brass-y, subdued rendition of the French anthem, ‘La Marseillaise’ that gradually builds a little momentum without every reaching the punch it usually packs. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpbSkip next section Volunteers honored and moment of rememberanceFebruary 22, 2026Volunteers honored and moment of rememberanceAfter a mercifully brief spinning of 90s Eurodance earworm 'Blue' by Eiffel 65, we see a montage of the numerous volunteers who help these things run smoothly. With this Games so spread, the logistics were particularly tricky this time around. Then there's a moment to remember those no longer with us through an interpretive dance. Next it's the last artistic element of the night, another dance symbolizing the poetic journey through the states of water. Mostly ice and snow the relevant ones here you'd imagine. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpZSkip next section Medals for final events awardedFebruary 22, 2026Medals for final events awardedAs is tradition, medals for the last set of events of the Games will be awarded in the stadium. We start off with the women's 50 km mass start cross country skiing, won by Sweden's Ebba Andersson. Then it's the same event for the men. This one, muc like fve other events, was won by Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who won six golds in total and formed part of a Norwegian podium clean sweep in this event. Norway completed a clean sweep of the men's 50km mass start classicImage: Mikhail Tereshchenko/ZUMA/IMAGO The country of just 5.5 million have punched well above their weight to finish top of the medal table by some distance. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpYSkip next section And now for something a little different...February 22, 2026And now for something a little different...A real change of pace now, with some electronic music bringing dozens of figures that resemble white mushrooms on to a stage packed with mirrors. One splits off to jump on a trampoline and then we get a huge figure in a sort of jellyfish get-up reciting lines from, we are reliably informed, Dante’s Divine Comedy, a narrative poem published in 1321.https://p.dw.com/p/59DpXSkip next section Athletes arrive in the arenaFebruary 22, 2026Athletes arrive in the arenaAfter the flag bearers complete their long trudge in to the stadium, athletes from all sorts of countries flood through the impressive stone archways and on to the stage. They just keep coming, which makes you realise the scale of an Olympics. Though some will have gone home or on to other competitions, there were 2900 athletes who competed over the course of the games in Italy. Even that is dwarfed by a summer games though. There were 10,500 athletes at Paris 2024 and will likely be more at LA 2028. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpVSkip next section Italian flag raised as Olympic flame arrivesFebruary 22, 2026Italian flag raised as Olympic flame arrivesAs the Italian flag is raised and the country's anthem is picked out on a lone trumpet later joined by a full orchestra and choir, the country's medalists stand side by side on stage belting out the words despite the slower tempo than usual. The camera pans to IOC chief, Kirsty Coventry, who is decked out in a dazzling white bomber jacket emblazoned with the Olympic rings. Then the flame is carried in by four men in white tracksuits and beanie hats, one of whom is holding a glass vase with said flame. According to the IOC, it is "a manifestation of the positive values that Man has always associated with the symbolism of fire and thus makes the link between the ancient and the modern Games." The flame is always lit in Olympia, Greece, a few months before the Games and carried to that year's venue where it is kept burning throughout the event. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpTSkip next section Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics beginsFebruary 22, 2026Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics beginsAnd we're off! The stunning Verona Arena is ready and starts in a fashion familiar to it, with an operatic performance getting things going in front of an audience mostly wrapped up in disposable ponchos. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpRSkip next section European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal tableFebruary 22, 2026European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal tableAs mentioned earlier, there was a distinctly European feel to the top of the medal table. Aside from the US in 2nd and Japan in 10th, the rest of the top 10 on the table were European nations. While we wait for the ceremony to begin, it might be a good time to look at our stories on how big a difference hosting has made for the Italians and the German ski jumper who overcame a fear of heights to win gold. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpQSkip next section Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffesFebruary 22, 2026Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffesEven at this late stage, there have been a couple of significant news lines from the Games’ final weekend. On Saturday, the IOC cleared FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is also an IOC member, saying he had not broken the Olympic Charter's neutrality requirement by donning a red MAGA-style USA hat at the first meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace earlier in the week. IOC chief Kirsty Coventry said she didn’t even know Infantino was an IOC member when pressed ahead of the decision during a press conference where she admitted she "wasn't aware" of a number of issues which face her organization. Then, on Sunday, ahead of the closing ceremony, protesters took the streets of Verona to object to having had the Games in their region. Hundreds of people marched through Verona just hours before the ceremony was set to start to protest against housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Winter Games. The "Olympics? No thanks" rally was organised by university groups and others that oppose hosting an event they say disrupts forests, pours concrete onto fragile land and deepens social inequality. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpPSkip next section Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 OlympicsFebruary 22, 2026Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 OlympicsWhile there have been countless sporting achievements, there have also been plenty of moments during this Games where the spotlight was away from the events. Perhaps the biggest was the IOC decision to ban Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from wearing a helmet that featured images of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia's war on Ukraine. Heraskevych told DW moments after his disqualification was announced that: "If (the) IOC reacts in a way with common sense, we will not have this terrible scandal now. And then there is much less politics in this competition and also much more attention (being paid) to the athletes in the competition now."Ukraine's skeleton star slams Olympic ban over helmetTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The new boss of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry had tears down her eyes when announcing the decision, admitting that it was " a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that" but confirming it broke IOC rules. There were also protests against the presence of American ICE agents, a British skier urinating a profanity against Donald Trump in the snow and the decision, announced during these Games, that Russian athletes can compete under their national flag at the upcoming Paralympics. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpOSkip next section What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremonyFebruary 22, 2026What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremonyOrganizers the IOC have promised to tell the story of Italy through a "tapestry of music, art, and storytelling," adding that the ceremony will showcase "not only athletic excellence, but also Italian cultural identity and innovation." Performers include Italian singer and rapper Achille Lauro, award-winning Roman actress Benedetta Porcaroli and Italian DJ Gabry Ponte. As with the opening ceremony earlier this