Why was a Chinese funeral procession shown at the Olympic Closing Ceremony? . Closing of the Olympic Games in Sochi: how the ceremony took place How the closing of the Olympics will take place
Bad landing. (Photo by Issei Kato):
Speed skating race for 5000 meters. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt):
Iron Man on a sleigh. Skeleton is a Winter Olympic sport that involves sliding down an ice chute on a double-sleigh sled (Photo by Matthias Hangst):
Norwegian fans. (Photo by Murad Sezer):
Spanish figure skater Felipe Montoya. (Photo by Damir Sagolj):
First gold medal brought by 15-year-old Alina Zagitova. Later, American figure skater Ashley Wagner harshly criticized her: “This is not a program. She killed time in the beginning and then just jumped around in the second half.”
Zagitova replied: “Let Wagner perform my program, and I will be happy to watch her performance. However, I won’t comment after that.”
By the way, not everyone knows that “gold” medals are not actually gold, they are gold-plated: they are made entirely of silver and then coated with 6 grams of gold. So the gold medals are most likely silver.
The Russian national hockey team won gold medals at the Olympics in South Korea, beating the Germans with a score of 4:3. And they sang the national anthem along with the fans at the awards ceremony. This was hours after the IOC decided not to restore ROC's Olympic status. The IOC assured that the performance of the Russian anthem by Russian hockey players will not in any way affect the decision to restore the status of the Olympic Committee.
“A team without a country won medals in hockey,” New York Post journalists described this match with this epithet.
“A team without medals,” they responded to the Americans on social networks.
The closing ceremony of the 2018 Games took place on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang. The Norwegian team won the unofficial medal standings, winning 14 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze medals. The Norwegians also updated the record for the number of medals in a single Winter Games.
This is the closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand):
(Photo by John Sibley):
(Photo by Damir Sagolj):
(Photo by Xin Li):
(Photo by Kim Hong-Ji):
View of the Olympic Stadium. (Photo by Christian Hartmann):
View of the Olympic Stadium. (Photo by Pawel Kopczynski):
(Photo by Damir Sagolj):
(Photo by Christian Hartmann):
(Photo by Florian Choblet):
The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing. (Photo by Pawel Kopczynski):
We say goodbye until the next Olympics! (Photo by Brian Snyder):
The first Winter Olympic Games in Russia ended with the victory of the Russian Olympic team in the team medal event. The Russians have 13 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze medals. The performance of the Russian team became the most successful for domestic athletes in the entire history of the Winter Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his personal contribution to the “unusual success of these Winter Olympic Games,” as well as the Sochi 2014 organizing committee. “Today we can say: Russia has fulfilled everything it promised. What took decades in other parts of the world was achieved here in seven years,” Bach said. According to him, “everyone who looks at Russia with an open mind has seen a new face of this country: successful and friendly, patriotic and open to the whole world.”
Most of the world's media echoed the IOC president in reporting on the closing ceremony of the Games. A number of American media especially noted the wonderful sense of humor of the organizers of the celebration, who played with the Olympic ring that was not opened during the opening ceremony.
Online broadcast:
22.27 Moscow time. A DJ platform appears on the stage. Behind the controls is DJ Kto (also known as DJ Boomer) - a musician, DJ, producer and promoter who played a significant role in popularizing rap, new rave and drum and bass in Russia. It's party time and the dancers are starting. They are joined by all the athletes and artists who took part in the closing ceremony. And now - disco.
22.24 Moscow time. A rain of thousands of petals falls on the stage. And there are new fireworks over the stadium.
22.21 Moscow time. Fireworks thunder over the stadium during Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto.
Khibla Gerzmava
Russian and Abkhazian opera singer(soprano), People's Artist of Russia (2012). Soloist of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theater, Honored Artist of Russia (2006), People's Artist of the Republic of Abkhazia (2006). Gerzmava gained worldwide fame from performances at the Mariinsky Theatre, London's Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Roman Opera, the Parisian Opera Garnier and other major stage venues. She was repeatedly mentioned in the press as the “Golden Soprano of Russia.”
Continuation
22.17 Moscow time. Hundreds of children appear on stage again, holding a mimosa - a traditional spring flower in the south of Russia and a symbol of the Sochi Olympics.
A magical flying ship appears above the stadium. On board is People's Artist of Russia Khibla Gerzmava and two children. She performs the composition "Messenger of Spring".
22.15 Moscow time. The Olympic bear rides up to the bowl of fire. The music played by Alexandra Pakhmutova is “Goodbye, Moscow,” which was performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980. The song reminded me of the mascot of those Games - Misha. A bear blows out the fire to the music from the Soviet film “One among Strangers, a Stranger among Friends” (1974). Written by Eduard Artemyev, performed in an arrangement by Igor Matvienko.
"Closing of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow"
22.11 Moscow time. Huge mirror walls appear in the stadium. Lyuba approaches the mirror and sees in it the reflection of a real Bear - the mascot of the Games.
They start playing together and are joined by two other mascots - Bunny and Leopard. The mirrors move away and reveal the Olympic cauldron in front of the audience.
22.09 Moscow time. The official speeches are over. We are gradually approaching the climax of the closing games. There is just a little time left until the ceremony of extinguishing the Olympic flame. Children appear on stage again, they play with each other. Lyuba has a toy bear in her hands.
21.40 Moscow time. Children from the Krasnodar region carried the Olympic flag. Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov returns the flag to IOC President Thomas Bach, who hands it over to the mayor of the future Winter Olympic capital. In 2018, the Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
21.34 Moscow time. The stage is empty. The official closing part of the Olympic Games begins. The LED forest is painted in the colors of the Greek flag. The Greek anthem was played. The Olympic anthem is being performed. The Olympic flag lowering ceremony takes place at the Fisht stadium.
Excerpt "The Magic of the Circus"
Continuation
21.29 Moscow time. The artistic excerpt "The Magic of the Circus" began. A circus van comes onto the stage, accompanied by clowns, and a huge tent grows in the center of the arena, around which circus performers perform. In total, 400 people take part in the performance. Children watch a circus performance. But gradually the stage becomes dark, the tent disappears, and the fireworks show begins.
21.24 Moscow time. Let us recall that it was to Khachaturian’s waltz that Olympic champions Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov performed their short program.
"Waltz of Champions. Music by Aram Khachaturian from the film "Masquerade"."
21.23 Moscow time. To the music of Aram Khachaturian's waltz to Mikhail Lermontov's play "Masquerade" (1941), a passage entitled "Literature" began. A book island appeared in the center of the stage, which was surrounded by 12 desks with portraits of famous Russian writers.
96 librarians and 23 famous ones appear on stage literary character. Three children walk between the tables and watch the craftsmen at work. Their walk is accompanied by the voice of an announcer, quoting passages from the works of great writers.
Children approach a huge book located in the center of the book island and begin to leaf through it.
Excerpt "Literature"
Continuation
21.22 Moscow time. The dancers perform pas de deux (one of the main forms in ballet, which consists of two dancers' entry, adagio, variations of solo male and female dances and a joint virtuoso coda) from the most famous Russian ballets.
21.20 Moscow time. The clouds finally cleared, and two portal arches appeared on the stage, representing the Great and Mariinsky theaters. The curtain rises and the corps de ballet dancers and leading soloists of the two theaters dance on stage. They play the roles of impresario Sergei Diaghilev, prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, her teacher Enrico Cecchetti and other stars who glorified Russian ballet throughout the world.
The symphonic suite “Scheherazade” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1888) was performed. The musical work was created based on "A Thousand and One Nights". Performed by the First All-Russian Youth Orchestra.
21.13 Moscow time. A piano appeared on the stage from behind the clouds, played by the famous Russian pianist Denis Matsuev. He performs Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto. The pianist was greeted by children. A vortex created from 62 pianos with musicians sitting behind them begins to swirl around them.
21.09 Moscow time. The artistic part of the closing ceremony, dedicated to Russian culture, begins. Painting, music, theater, literature and circus art are presented at the Fisht stadium. The forest grows back on the stage and snow begins to fall.
Violist Yuri Bashmet and violinist Tatyana Samuil perform Alfred Schnittke's polka. A flying inverted island depicting "Chagall's Village" appeared above the stadium. It was created based on the paintings of the great Russian artist and is populated by characters characteristic of his work.
Island "Chagall Village"
Continuation
The bride and groom, the violinist on the roof, village animals straight out of the artist’s paintings, float above the stage on which children appear again.
21.07 Moscow time. New members of the athletes' commission are being introduced. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Canadian hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser became members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Next comes the greeting of the volunteers.
The newly elected members of the IOC Athletes' Commission present gifts to volunteers as a sign of appreciation and gratitude for their contribution to the Olympic Games in Sochi.
21.04 Moscow time. The Russian anthem plays.
21.00 Moscow time. The award ceremony for the winners of the men's 50 km mass start has begun. The Russians became triumphant in the race, occupying the entire podium for the first time in the history of the Winter Games. Thanks to the victory of Alexander Legkov, Maxim Vylegzhanin and Ilya Chernousov, Russia won the Olympics.
20.55 Moscow time. On Sunday, a comic report appeared in the Norwegian media that Marit Bjorgen had been found to have doping.
20.52 Moscow time. The solemn ceremony of awarding the athletes who competed for the last sets of Olympic awards at the 2014 Games has begun. The heroes of the last two days of the Olympics are the winners and medalists of the marathon ski races - 30 km (women) and 50 km (men). In the women's race, the entire podium is occupied by representatives of Norway. First place was taken by Marit Bjorgen, second by Teresa Johaug and third by Christine Steira. They are awarded first. The medals are presented by IOC President Thomas Bach and FIS President Jeanfranco Kasper. The Norwegian anthem plays.
20.47 Moscow time. The parade of athletes ends with the Russian national team. Some of the athletes on stage began to dance. Others take pictures and post them on social networks.
20.40 Moscow time. While all the athletes walk through the stadium to their seats to the applause of the spectators, let’s remember how the teams of different countries performed.
From the countries that were part of Soviet Union, the best performance after the Russian team was the Belarusian team, which took eighth place in the medal standings. The Belarusians won five gold medals, three of which were won by biathlete Daria Domracheva (link), as well as one bronze.
The Ukrainian team took 20th place with one gold and one bronze medal. The Latvian team has two silver, two bronze medals and a final 23rd place. The Kazakhstan team closes the medal table with one bronze medal. In total, representatives of 26 countries won medals at the Sochi Games.
The main rival of the Russian team at the Games, the Norwegian team, won 11 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals and took second place. The winner of the Olympic hockey tournament, the Canadian team, took third place in the medal standings.
The US team took fourth place (9-7-12), fifth place went to the Netherlands (8-7-9), becoming the record holders for the number of medals won in speed skating.
20.37 Moscow time. Athletes appear on the field of the Fisht stadium, as if from under the stage, and carry out the flags of their countries. Moreover, they are not divided by country, but go all together, symbolizing the unity of people through sports. The flag of the Russian Federation is carried by figure skater Maxim Trankov.
20.34 Moscow time. Drummers from the Moscow Military Music School are at the stadium.
20.33 Moscow time. The Russian flag is raised at the Fisht stadium.
20.29 Moscow time. The Russian anthem plays. It is performed by a combined children's choir and youth orchestra of 1,000 people under the direction of Valery Gergiev and a youth orchestra under the direction of Yuri Bashmet.
20.25 Moscow time. The Russian flag is brought into the stadium. It is carried by Olympic champions as part of the Russian team at the Games in Sochi.
20.24 Moscow time. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the President of the International Olympic Committee and 1976 Olympic fencing champion Thomas Bach appear in the honor box. They entered the box from opposite sides and met in the center, greeting each other with a handshake. To the left of Vladimir Putin is the standard bearer of the Russian national team at the opening of the Games Alexander Zubkov and the coach figure skating Nina Moser.
20.23 Moscow time. The fifth Olympic ring was deliberately not opened at first, as happened at the opening ceremony.
Olympic rings at the Fisht stadium
Continuation
20.22 Moscow time. Performers in mirrored costumes glide chaotically through the water like schools of fish. Suddenly, unexpectedly, they form five Olympic rings.
20.14 Moscow time. The closing ceremony of the Olympics has begun. This part of the ceremony is called "Sky and Sea". An LED forest grows on the stage, changing colors thanks to the medallions of the audience. Stars twinkle in the sky above the endless expanse of the night sea. A boat appeared at the stadium, in which the boy Yura and the girl Valentina were sitting, as well as main character- a little girl named Lyubov, already familiar to us from the opening ceremony. Love holds in her hands one of the mascots of the 2014 games - the Polar Bear.
The music is from the film "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), written by Dmitry Tiomkin, an American composer of Russian origin. Tiomkin worked in Hollywood and is widely known as the composer of music for Westerns. He was nominated for an Oscar 22 times and received this award four times, including two Oscars for the film High Noon.
20.09 Moscow time. As we await the start of the official opening of the ceremony, let us recall the words of the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, at a press conference on Sunday that “the success of the team is always the success of the Games as a whole, which we have seen in many countries - for example, in London. If the team achieves success, then the audience watches the Olympic competitions with great enthusiasm. Our coordination commission brought to the attention of the organizers of the Games in Sochi that not only the organization itself is important, but also the positive result of the country's team - the host of the Games. I will note that you did a good job after the failure in Vancouver. This is incredible progress."
20.00 Moscow time. TV viewers are shown the most highlights Games 2014: victories and defeats, laughter and tears, joy and disappointment of athletes and fans. All that will be remembered for the first Winter Olympics in Russia.
Continuation
19.41 Moscow time. At the Fisht stadium they began to “warm up” the audience. "Buranovskie Babushki" and the group "Gorky Park" have already performed.
19.38 Moscow time. The organizers of the closing ceremony of the Games are chief creative director Konstantin Ernst, artistic director, screenwriter and production director Daniele Finzi Pasca, chief set and props designer Hugo Gargiulo, costume designer Giovanna Buzzi, lighting designer Al Gordon, chief crowd choreographer Bryn Walters , visual effects supervisor Maxim Kiriyenko and music producer Igor Matvienko.
19.34 Moscow time. There are 40 minutes left before the official closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. Spectators are already taking their seats at the Fisht stadium, the same stadium where the opening of the Games took place on February 7.
The Olympic flame was lit by Russian sports legends Irina Rodnina and Vladislav Tretyak. “I felt proud when I lit the Olympic flame. Pride that the Olympics are taking place here, that we prepared everything so wonderfully. After the fire was lit, Vladislav Tretyak and I turned to each other and said: “We are this done!” Rodnina said.
According to the chief creative producer and scriptwriter of the ceremony, Konstantin Ernst, the opening of the Games in Sochi became the most high-tech ceremony of its kind in the last 20 years.
"We wanted to show the Russia of today and tomorrow. Most people in the world did not expect such a high-tech show from us. I have seen all the Olympics over the past 20 years, so I can say with confidence that there was nothing like ours. It was important to demonstrate that Russia is a different country than it is represented in the West. The media is a great thing, but what they write needs to be divided in half,” he added.
19.30 Moscow time. The Russian team won the medal standings at the Winter Olympics for the second time (previously in Lillehammer 1994). The USSR national team did the same seven more times (Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956, Squaw Valley 1960, Innsbruck 1964 and 1976, Sapporo 1972, Lake Placid 1980, Calgary 1988). Russia became the fourth country to win at home Winter Olympics. Previously, this was achieved by the teams of the USA (Lake Placid 1932), Norway (Oslo 1952) and Canada (Vancouver 2010).
The performance of the Russian team at the Olympics in Sochi became the most successful for domestic athletes in the entire history of the Winter Games. After the victory of the crew of Alexander Zubkov, Dmitry Trunenkov, Alexey Negodaylo and Alexey Voevoda in the bobsleigh competition, the Russian team gained 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals (33 in total). Thus, the achievement of the USSR national team in Innsbruck 1976 (13-6-8) was surpassed - due to the greater number of second places won in Sochi (11 versus 6). The best Russian result before the current Games was shown in Lillehammer 1994 - (11-8-4). The Russian team also surpassed the best result of domestic athletes at the Winter Olympics in terms of the number of medals won - the USSR team in Calgary 1988 won 29 medals.
` Well, dear friends! We thank you for following with us not only the closing ceremony, but the entire Olympics! It was an interesting 2.5 weeks, in which there was everything - both victories and defeats, but let's remember only the good things and learn from the bad!
Thank you again and see you again!
` Large-scale and very, very beautiful fireworks and fireworks over the stadium! The closing ceremony, like the entire 2018 Olympics, said goodbye to us!
` Everyone goes to the center of the stadium and dances!
` Well, goodbye - a large-scale disco under electronic music!
` Those same South Korean kids are waving at the Olympic flame that just went out. Eh!
` Several hundred artists enter the stadium and hold glowing balls in their hands! Incredibly beautiful!
` South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo performs now.
` “Now I am obliged to declare the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang closed. And I urge everyone to gather in Beijing in 4 years to celebrate the 24th Winter Olympics!”, Bach concluded.
` Martin Fourcade and 7 other iconic 2018 Olympics came to Thomas Bach. And they all greeted those gathered with a “gesture of the heart.”
` Now the IOC President, Thomas Bach, came to the microphone.
"Congratulations to PyeongChang and the members of the Olympic family! Over the past 17 days, we have lived through Games based on tradition and showing the way to the future. This Olympics is the Games of new horizons. We invite everyone to join forces. Dear athletes, you are the best ambassadors of our optimism. Thank you for your honest game and competitive spirit. I also say thank you to the organizers from the bottom of my heart. And I also want to say thank you to the international winter sports federations, the President of South Korea - you warmed our hearts even in the lowest temperatures,” said Thomas Bach and especially noted by the people of South Korea.
` Lee Hee Beom, head of the organizing committee of the 2018 Games, speaks. Thanks to all the participants, fans, athletes who overcame themselves and set new records.
` Very colorful and high-tech number.
`Of course main character- panda!
` Presentation of Beijing 2022 is ahead!
` The Olympic banner was handed over to the mayor of Beijing - Chen Zhining! It is in China that the next Winter Olympic Games will be held in 4 years. The national anthem is played again.
`Now it is the anthem of the Olympic Games, and the Olympic flag is lowered under it.
` Now the national anthem of Greece is already playing.
` Singer C.L. performs.
` Special applause to the volunteers!
` Now welcome to the new members of the IOC Athletes Commission: Kikkan Randal, an American skier, and Eva Tempo, a Finnish hockey player.
` It seems to symbolize human progress and development through the axis of time.
` The next number is presented to the audience, dance.
` Gian-Franco Kasper - head of the International Ski Federation (FIS) - presented well-deserved awards to Bolshunov and Larkov! Congratulations guys!
` By the way, this beauty was above the stadium:
` But we, of course, are interested in the silver and bronze medalists for men - Bolshunov and Larkov, respectively!
` Two award ceremonies ahead: ski mass start for men and women! In the first case, Ivo Niskanen became the champion, in the second - Marit Bjorgen.
` The next issue is very unusual: dedicated to the heroes of the Olympics who have already left this world.
` The athletes took their places in the stands.
` An endless stream of athletes greets all spectators!
` Daria Domracheva came out with the flag of Belarus.
` And this is how some of the national delegations come out.
` This is the circle in the center of the stadium.
` Domestic athletes have appeared! The flag is carried by a volunteer.
`The Canadian delegation enters the stadium. And then many, many: Italy, Switzerland...
` National flags appear in the arena. Instead of Russian, let us remind you - Olympic.
` Well, now the brightest moments of the ended Olympic Games: curling, skeleton, hockey, biathlon and all, all, all!
` Non-standard performance of “Seasons”: in addition to the strings, a rock band also joined in!
` But there were such fireworks.
` 10 guardsmen raise the South Korean national flag while the anthem is played live.
` Officials are introduced amid fireworks and fireworks: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach.
` More than a hundred actors appeared, and during the performance they formed into Olympic rings.
`The ceremony has begun!
` We are slowly starting to prepare for the start of the closing ceremony. Spectators are already filling the stadium.
` And yet the day begins with bad news. We will be under neutral again...
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang was not the most magnificent, but this is the meaning, the plot, and the scenery itself. Of course, the organizers emphasized the history of South Korea and lit the Olympic flame in an unusual way. In general, the audience was delighted.
True, Russian fans were at least sad when they looked at their athletes because of the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But today, before the closing ceremony, the organization will make a verdict,
For the rest - again big secret. The Organizing Committee of the 2018 Games is keeping the plot in the strictest confidence gala event and we can all only guess what we will see today. One thing is clear - it is necessary to see.
"MK" will begin a live online broadcast of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games at exactly 13:00 Moscow time, don't miss it!
On February 7, the whole world watched with bated breath the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Games in Sochi, and now the time has come to say goodbye to them. All 17 days we were not only joyful witnesses of great victories, but also shared with the athletes the grief and sadness of losses. It seems that these days the people of our country have united more than usual. After all, this was our Olympics.
Today, February 23, is a holiday of defenders and men, marked by another joyful event. The Russian team completed its performance at the Olympics, becoming first in the team medal standings. The country had 33 medals: 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze.
All details final show, just as it was with the opening ceremony, were kept in the strictest confidence. And only this morning Konstantin Ernst revealed the secret and spoke about some of the motives and elements of the show, calling it “arthouse”.
The closing ceremony took place at the Fisht stadium
"Buranovskie Babushki" and the group "Gorky Park" warmed up the audience before the start of the main show.
So the ceremony began. The countdown has ended, and commentators have announced that the main motive of today's closing ceremony is the unity of world culture and world sports.
The first to appear before the eyes of 40,000 spectators at the Fisht stadium was a magical LED forest. A boat drove through the air into this forest, in which sat a boy and a girl in clown costumes. With them in the boat was the girl Lyuba, known to the audience from the opening ceremony, as well as her friends - little Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin.
A boat floats over a magical forest
There are three children in the boat - Lyuba, Valya and Yura
The boat sailed over the sea. Of course, this is the Black Sea, on the shores of which the first Winter Olympic Games in Russia are taking place.
Thousands of children perform a patriotic dance in the arena of the stadium, which ends with the participants lining up in the Olympic rings. The last fifth opens like a snowflake. Thus, the creators of the show are ironic about the reaction of the world press, which discussed the failure with the visual effect - the ring not opening during the opening ceremony. And they show themselves as people with an excellent sense of humor and healthy self-irony.
ironically played out episode of failure at the opening ceremony: Olympic rings and snowflake
After the end of the first number, the main guests of the ceremony are announced - Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and others.
Thomas Bach and Vladimir Putin
The ceremony continued with the removal of the flag Russian Federation. It was carried out by the winners of the Olympic Games who competed for Russia - Viktor An, Ekaterina Bobrova, Valentin Voevoda, Alexey Volkov, Tatyana Volosazhar, Vladimir Grigoriev. Semyon Elistratov, Ruslan Zakharov, Elena Ilyinykh, Nikita Kosolapov, Fedor Klimov, Yulia Lipnitskaya, Dmitry Malyshka, Evgeniy Plushenko, Dmitry Solovyov, Adelina Sotnikova, Ksenia Stolbova, Alexander Tretyakov, Vic Wild, Evgeniy Ustyugov and Anton Shipulin.
The country knows the names of its heroes!
Carrying out the flag by Russian Olympians
Thomas Bach and Vladimir Putin greet the athletes The next episode of the show was the performance of a choir of 1000 people under the direction of Valery Gergiev and the All-Russian Youth symphony orchestra conducted by Yuri Bashmet, who performed the anthem of the Russian Federation.
Athletes and spectators at the stadium listened to the anthem while standing.
singing of the anthem
The performance of the anthem was followed by a pompous ceremonial performance by the drummer ensemble of the Moscow military school.
Orchestra
After the drummers' performance, the audience was treated to a traditional element of the show - a parade of Olympic teams carrying the flags of their country. 2856 athletes participated in the Sochi Olympics. The Russian flag was entrusted to be carried by Olympic champion figure skater Maxim Trankov.
Maxim Trankov brings out the flag of our country
Ceremonial parade of teams The parade of athletes took place to the accompaniment of rousing music. Spectators in the stands watched the action and danced. Speaking of the audience, everyone was wearing a medal (the organizers placed them in places in the hall before the ceremony), which has an LED flickering and flashing light inside that changes color as the show progresses. Thanks to these medals, everyone present in the stands became a full participant in the ceremony.
Spectators
On the stage, where athletes from all countries were already lined up, a hatch suddenly opened, and six people climbed into the arena - athletes who had won medals in competitions last day, winners of two mass start races: three Russian skiers and three Norwegian skiers.
Gold, silver and bronze medals in women's mass start went to Norway
Gold, silver and bronze among men went to the Russians
It should be noted that the excellent performance of the skiers today played a key role in Russia's victory in the overall medal standings. Welcoming the heroes of the day, the spectators of the Fisht stadium gave a standing ovation: Alexander Legkov - gold, Ilya Chernousov - bronze, Maxim Vylegzhanin - bronze.
At this time, a real theatrical performance was taking place on stage - the artistic part of the ceremony began, dedicated to cultural heritage our country - painting, music, theater... The main motives of the performance are borrowed from Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich. The scenery is amazing and light show reaches unprecedented proportions.
Show to the song "Polka"
A huge moon hung over the stage
After "Polka", a new show began on stage. Denis Matsuev performed "Concerto No. 2" by the outstanding Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff. During the performance of the composition, there was a show on stage with 62 animated pianos. Rachmaninov is a reflection of Russian culture at the beginning of the last century, therefore it is his composition that conducts a kind of excursion through the art of the past.
Denis Matsuev at the Fisht arena
Pianos come to life The Russian ballet of Sergei Diaghilev, founded in 1911, is another cultural layer that could not be ignored in the representation of our country. Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" revolutionized the culture of the early 20th century.
Ballet is another facet of Russian art
The corps de ballet of 48 performers and 8 soloists created a dance of incredible scope and beauty. The backdrop for their performance was two arches, identifying the two main theaters of our country - the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky.
Before the eyes of cheering spectators, the stadium turns into a library. Pieces of paper fly over the arena, and quotes familiar to our ears begin to sound throughout the stadium. Lines from the works of Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tsvetaeva, Chekhov, Gogol are heard. Prototypes of heroes appear on the stage, and portraits of great Russian writers, those who glorified Russian culture in the world, fly over the arena.
The show with books was one of the most spectacular
Portraits of great Russian writers and poets
Music, literature, painting... What will happen next? Another layer of our culture is circus art. Russia is rightfully proud of its circus, which is the best in the world. The Durovs, Filatovs, Zapashnys - their names are known all over the world, and their traditions are passed on from generation to generation.
A tent is erected on the stage, next to which jugglers, clowns, acrobats and trapeze artists appear.
The stage tent was opened in less than one minute
Circus
After the bright light and dance show, the traditional official part followed. The Greek anthem sounded as a tribute to the country that gave the world the Olympic Games in 1896.
And then followed the ceremony of handing over the flag to Korea, the country that will host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The anthem of the Republic of Korea called "Patriotic Song" was played. Korea represented their country in a small suite prepared for the ceremony.
Korea showed its show on stage
The Olympic mascots appear on the stage - a bear, a bunny, a leopard. Three friends - Lisa, Yura and Valentina - spun around in the final dance around life-size puppets of huge sizes to lyrical music. Spectators in the stands cannot hold back their tears as they say goodbye to the Olympics...
A bear, a bunny and a leopard are symbols of the Olympics in Sochi
Then the Olympic flame appeared on the stage and the music of Eduard Artemyev, performed in 1980 at the closing of the Moscow Olympics, began to play. The bear walked up to the bowl with the Olympic flame and blew it out. A tear rolled down his cheek.
The bear blew out the Olympic flame
The farewell anthem of Sochi sounded over the stadium arena, performed by a choir led by Valery Gergiev.
Farewell anthem and the last spectacular show of the closing ceremony
Sprigs of mimosa, a symbol of spring, were brought onto the stage. After all, the Olympics replace each other like the seasons... and winter will certainly be followed by spring.
This is where the XX Olympic Games ended. Fireworks started over the Fisht stadium, petals rained down on the stage, and a DJ platform with DJ Who appeared on the stage. His appearance marked the start of a dance party in honor of the closing of the Olympics.
Farewell fireworks over the Olympic Park
HELLO.RU once again congratulates all Russians on their victory - the athletes who fought and participated in the Olympic Games, as well as the spectators and fans who supported them and believed in the success of our country. Hooray!
The XXIII Winter Olympic Games closed today in Pyeongchang. The Russian team, which competed in South Korea under a neutral flag and the name “Olympic Athletes from Russia,” won 2 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze medals, taking 13th overall team place with its 17 awards. How the closing ceremony went - in the online broadcast of Kommersant.
16:07 . The ceremony is over.
15:57 . The disco is accompanied by fireworks.
15:56 . Figures in bear costumes and children with lights in their hands came to the center, and the snowfall of light seemed to extinguish the Olympic flame in the bowl.
During the closing ceremony, figures in bear costumes and children with lights in their hands rose to the center of the stage.
15:45 . The boy band EXO performs the compositions “Growl” and “Power”, which, symbolically, sings in Chinese and Korean.
15:41 . Thomas Bach declared the 2018 Olympic Games closed. Officials and several athletes pose for photos showing the Korean sign for heart.
15:40 . “The Olympic Games pay respect to the past and symbolize faith in the future,” said Thomas Bach in his final speech, congratulating the Olympians for breaking new ground.
15:30 . Chapter organizing committee Lee Hee Beom sums up the results of the Olympics and thanks all the athletes, volunteers, organizers and fans: “You are all real winners.”
15:23 . A group of performers in glowing panda costumes perform a number on the ice arena.
15:17 . The next Olympic Games in 2022 will be hosted by China - the flag was handed over to the mayor of Beijing, Cai Qi. A video is being shown with a presentation of the Games, the right to host which China won in 2015, beating the Kazakh bid from Almaty.
15:11 . At the stadium, during the Greek anthem, the flag of the country that founded the Olympic movement is raised. In honor of the closing of the Games, the Olympic flag was lowered.
15:07 . In the concert part, “I Am The Best” was sung by CL (former member of the group 2NE1).
15:03 . The DPRK delegation at a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that Pyongyang is ready for negotiations with the United States. At the opening ceremony, the countries marched under one flag. The US delegation in Pyeongchang is headed by the daughter of US President Donald Trump, Ivanka.
14:55 . Russian skiers climb to the podium - silver medalist of the 50 km race Alexander Bolshunov and bronze champion Andrey Larkov. The winner of yesterday's marathon was Canadian Sebastien Toutant.
14:50 . According to tradition, IOC President Thomas Bach and International Ski Federation President Gian-Franco Kasper presented medals to the winners of the 30-kilometer classic marathon race: Norwegian skier Marit Bjorgen, Finnish Krista Pärmäkoski and Swede Stina Nilsson.
14:44 . The next thematic part of the performance “On the Waves of Memory” is dedicated to the achievements of the past. Korean puppets and a giant turtle figure appeared on the stage.
14:41 . The mascot of the Games, made of luminous drones, appears above the stadium - the White Tiger Suhoran.
14:37 . The procession of Olympic athletes has come to an end.
14:33 . The flags of all countries whose athletes competed at the Games are projected onto the stands.
14:32 . Today the last 5 of 102 sets of awards were drawn.
14:30 . Russian athletes, who received 17 awards, marched along with other parade participants.
14:22 . The teams walk a full circle around the stadium, waving small flags, and head to the stands. In the middle, the standard bearers lined up in a circle.
14:17 . Athletes enter the stadium for the main part of the ceremony - the parade of athletes. Before this, the audience was reminded from the big screens of the brightest moments of the Olympics.
14:13 . A 13-year-old musician performs the song “The Nightingale’s Winter Song” on an electric guitar. Acrobats perform to rock music.
14:09 . The “Patriotic Song” - the anthem of the host country of the 2018 Olympic Games - is played. South Korea received the right to host the Winter Games on the third attempt: in 2010 they were held in Canada (Vancouver), and in 2014 in Russia ().
14:05 . Children carry the South Korean flag into the stadium.
14:04 . South Korean President Moon Jae-in and IOC President Thomas Bach greeted guests from the stands.
14:04 . The solemn ceremony began.
14:02 . The competition took place for 18 days in two clusters: coastal (in the city of Gangneung) and mountain - located 30 km from the latter, near Pyeongchang itself.
13:53 . The closing ceremony will take place at the Olympic Plaza, which will be dismantled after the final Olympic event.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) upheld the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and did not allow Russian Olympians to fly the national flag at the closing ceremony.
Russian Minister of Sports Pavel Kolobkov:
Our athletes took part in the Games for the sake of future generations, for the future of Russian sports. They competed for themselves and for those guys who couldn’t go, and they performed great. Today's decision by the IOC cannot break the will and character of Russian athletes, which they have repeatedly demonstrated. And the final hockey match proved this once again! I am sincerely proud of how our young team performed at the games, because most of the Russian athletes made their debut at the Olympics.
The head of the commission for working with Olympians from Russia at the 2018 Games, Nicole Hovertz, noted that the restoration of the ROC “should be carried out in the interests of the Olympic family as soon as possible.” “However, it is clear that restoring the OCD before the closing ceremony of the Games would be a controversial decision.<...>The commission recommends lifting the disqualification after analyzing all doping samples of OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia, Olympic athletes from Russia.- “Kommersant”),” she said.
IOC spokesman Christian Klaue clarified that the ROC's disqualification will be lifted automatically after rechecking the doping samples from the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“This should happen a few days after the competition,” said Mr. Klaue.
ROC expressed hope for his speedy restoration of his rights to the IOC. “The status of our country and the interests of our athletes are our absolute priority. In light of the current situation, we believe that the restoration of the rights of the ROC and all Russian athletes will be the main result of the Olympic Games ending today,” the ROC statement says.
