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Here’s a guide to the 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony

By Mike Gavin

Here’s a Guide to the 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

 

It’s time for the grand finale of what has been an unprecedented stretch in Olympic history.

With the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing nearly complete, the Olympic Games now have been played for the second time in six months. Despite numerous hurdles and an unusual Olympic timeframe, brought on by the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all events were completed and all medals were awarded in both the summer and winter.

Now it’s time to celebrate that achievement, and the accomplishments of all athletes involved, with a global commemoration that includes singing, dancing, patriotism and the passing of the torch to the next host country.

The Olympics Closing Ceremony in Beijing will bring nations and athletes together for the official end of the two-week global competition.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 closing ceremony:

What time does the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony start?

With 109 medal events having been completed across 15 different sports, the closing ceremony for the 2022 Winter Games will be held at 7 a.m. ET on Feb. 20.

Where will the Olympics closing ceremony take place?

The 2022 closing ceremony will be held at Beijing’s National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest.

How to watch the 2022 Olympics closing ceremony

The ceremony will air live on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

NBC will also air the Closing Ceremony on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. It will be preceded at 7 p.m. ET by a one-hour special highlighting the defining moments of the 2022 Winter Games.

What happens during the Olympics closing ceremony?

Traditionally, the ceremony includes a parade of flags representing all participating nations, starting with the founding country of Greece and ending with the host nation.

Medals from the last event of the Games are typically presented to the winners during the Closing Ceremony.

Remaining Olympians march in a parade of athletes, but unlike the Opening Ceremony, there is no order as the athletes walk en masse. The flagbearer for the United States will be four-time bobsled medalist Elana Meyers Taylor, who originally was named flagbearer for the Opening Ceremony but unable to participate after testing positive for COVID-19.

Team USA has already unveiled the patriotic garb that its athletes will wear during the 2022 Closing Ceremony, complete with blue and red plaid puffer jackets.

The Olympic flag is lowered and the flag of the next host country (Italy) is raised alongside the flag of the current host (China). As part of the customary ceremonial flag handover, the Olympic flag will be passed to the mayors of the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina-D’Ampezzo, hosts of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The Games are then declared closed during a speech by the International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach. That declaration is made official with the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.

The Olympics typically come to an official end with a fireworks show befitting of a global event’s grand finale.

The Summer and Winter Olympics will officially return to the traditional two-year cycle, starting with the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Ariel Atkins returned to Team USA for second stint with an increased role

By Tyler Byrum
Atkins returned to Team USA with an increased role originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonWASHINGTON -- Playing for Team USA and representing your country is an honor only a few athletes get to experience throughout their competitive careers. That is partly why Ariel Atkins holds her roster spot with such reverence and couldn't even put it into words when she first made the team for the Olympics in 2021. But this time when she made the team, Atkins wasn't the rookie jumping on board to play with esteemed Team USA. This time, Atkins knew the ropes and was one of the players the United States relied upon in FIBA World Cup Qualification the second week of February.She also knew the ropes because the tournament was hosted in her home WNBA venue, the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast D.C.As Team USA qualified for their 16th straight World Cup, Atkins' role was completely different than her first time around on the national team. "The first thing we said to her when we walked into the gym is 'you're a vet now. You're a vet,' and she looked and she's like, 'okay, I can do that,' Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve said during the tournament. "And what I've seen from her is she's got a maturity now, she's played on a very good team, very well-coached team. It shows when she plays and we've just really count(ed) on her and we put her in a key role defensively tonight."Where Atkins was shuffled down to one of the last reserves in the Tokyo Olympics, she was one of the four holdovers to participate in this qualifying tournament. That meant far more playing time than the six minutes she averaged in Japan.Atkins was named a starter against both Belgium and Puerto Rico for the D.C. contests. And while this wasn't her first rodeo with Team USA, a lot was still different. "It's a lot of different people. There's not one person on that roster that I played with during the W's season, so is definitely different," Atkins said who played with then-teammate Tina Charles in Tokyo. "It's a little crazy. Definitely, I think the biggest difference that I noticed was I'm able to take in more information because I've been here before so being able to kind of catch on quicker has been super helpful. But I got to use my voice more. I mean, since I have been here before."Her role was similar to that on the hometown Washington Mystics; an off-ball scorer that is stout on the defensive end. As a starter, she posted 10.5 ppg with eight-for-14 shooting from the field in two games for Team USA. She also added three steals on the American squad that dominated play on the defensive end.Like she did in Washington, people have taken notice of the young guard when she was given the opportunity. Her basketball intellect is greater than her age, 25, and plays her role to the team's needs."She's just trustworthy. It's probably one of the greatest things you can say about a player," Reeve said. "Overall that's a player that I trust. I put her in spots to make passes. I put her in spots to make shots, put her in spots defensively. So Mike (Thibault)'s very fortunate he made a hell of a pick when he drafted Ariel Atkins."This made two years in a row that Atkins has represented her country. She'll likely be chosen again for the team when the FIBA World Cup is held in Australia later this year. Her team will be looking for their fourth straight World Cup title and Atkin's first.Based on how she has performed thus far, there are certainly many more national team call-ups on the horizon."Yeah for sure, (it) definitely (has settled in)," Atkins said. "I think with that comes great responsibility. So all the excitement is like yeah, you're thankful for it, but you know it's a big responsibility."
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