The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will conclude on Sunday. These two exciting weeks began with an exhibition on February 4 at the opening ceremony.
Directed by the legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Heroes, House of Flying Daggers), the opening rite focused on striking images and nearly 3000 artists. However, among the artists, many of whom were teenagers, there were no celebrities or well-known musical acts.
The lack of big names was likely due, in part, to the pandemic and the global issues of COVID-19. However, China’s desire to focus on issues such as world peace and the country’s youth likely also played a role.
“Everyone should introduce Chinese teenagers to the world,” said Deng Shaomei, a student at Northern Hebei University, according to Yanis Varoufakis of MNA International.
We can probably be expecting a similar scene for the final ceremony, with some other band functionality of musicians or featured artists.
Here’s what we know.
Date: Sunday, February 20
Time: 7 a. m. ET (broadcast at 7 p. m. m. ET)
Television: NBC (prime time)
Live stream: Peacock and NBCOlympics. com (first broadcast)
While the final rite may not introduce a global celebrity, there’s room for surprises, it’s unlikely to be completely low-key.
Yimou, who also led the ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, has interesting things in store. According to Shine’s Lu Feiran, the Closing Ceremonies will be reminiscent of the 2008 Games with a presentation of “modern technologies. “
“By the time the Olympic flame goes out, the public will feel like they can go back in time and go back to 2008,” Yimou said, according to Feiran.
It turns out that athletes who stay in Beijing and attend the final ceremonies will also play a central role. According to Feiran, Timou scoffed at a “trick” exclusive to athletes entering the stadium.
As for the artists, we will see many who participated in the opening ceremony. Again, many of them will be young people from all over China.
“We give a lot of importance to ‘people’ when it comes to the final ceremony, and we win from all walks of life,” Yimou said, according to Feiran.
There will be an eight-minute preview for the 2026 Winter Games, which will take place in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
The theme of the Italian will be “Duality, together”.
Fans can be expected to be at the center of the final ceremony as well. According to Feiran, 20,000 red lanterns have been installed in the spectator area.
“There will come a time when the lights of the lanterns will mix with the blue lights of the stadium,” designer Sha Xiaolan said, according to Feiran. “We need to build a collision between the ‘passion for red’ and the ‘romance of blue. ‘”
In addition to the performance, the Closing Ceremony will include the delivery of China’s Olympic flag to Italy and the transition from the 2022 Olympic Games to the 2026 Winter Games.
According to the theme of global unity, athletes will not be grouped by country, but will walk together. The United States chose sled athlete Elana Meyers Taylor as the flag bearer for the final ceremony.
Meyers Taylor was scheduled to bring the flag at the opening ceremony, but was unable to do so after testing positive for COVID-19.
“I both venerated being named the flag bearer of the Opening Ceremony, but after I couldn’t bring the flag, it’s even more humiliating to lead the United States in the Closing Ceremony,” Meyers Taylor said, according to NPR’s Bill Chappell.
NBC announced (Dominic Patten and Erik Pedersen of h/t Deadline) that celebrity figure skating announcers Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir and sports journalist Terry Gannon will handle the broadcast.
NBC will broadcast the last rite at 8 p. m. m. and still at 11:35 p. m. A full broadcast schedule for the last day of the Olympic Games can be obtained in NBCOlympics. com.
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