With dazzling digital displays, a never-ending flurry of snowflakes and an undercurrent of political tension, the 2022 Winter Olympics officially kicked off in Beijing on Friday.
The 2022 Winter Olympics are just about halfway over, but there's plenty of action still ahead.
From figure skating to snowboarding and curling, many competitions are slated to take place over the eight remaining days in Beijing.
All of the excitement will wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 20, when the closing ceremony gets underway.
Here's what you need to know about the remaining days of the Winter Games, from final events to details on the closing ceremony.
What Are Some of the Final Events?
Figure skating, bobsledding and men's hockey will be just some of the events during the final two days of competition.
Here are the details:
- Friday, Feb. 18 - 7 p.m. - The Figure Skating pairs event will commence as China looks to continue its tradition of dominance at home with Sui Wenjing and Han Cong.
- Saturday, Feb. 19 - 8 p.m. - U.S. bobsledder Kaillie Humphries (Calgary, Alberta) will compete for her fourth medal in the two-woman event. The men’s hockey final will also take place as well as the Figure Skating Pairs’ Free Skate–the most anticipated event for the host county.
When is the Closing Ceremony?
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Nations and athletes will convene on Sunday, Feb. 20 for the 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony - the official end of the two-week global competition.
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 closing ceremony will begin at 6 a.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC and streamed on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. The ceremony will also re-air at 7 p.m. later that night.
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 come to an official end with a fireworks show befitting of a grand finale for a global event.
Where Will Future Olympic Games Take Place?
Sites have been chosen for nearly all of the Olympic Games in the next 10 years except one.
- 2024: Paris - Summer
- 2026: Milan Cortina - Winter
- 2028: Los Angeles - Summer
- 2030: TBD - Winter
- 2032: Brisbane - Summer
Vancouver, Canada, Sapporo, Japan and Barcelona, Spain previously announced bids for the 2030 Winter Games. Salt Lake City, Utah and multiple other cities are considering bids.
