The audience took their seats, the delegates settled themselves in the VIP boxes, and music and lights were intertwined in the Olympic stadium for the last time…..this stadium at Pyeongchang will be demolished after this grand festival.
As the athletes came out, this time quite informally, a giant illuminated turtle led to the centre of the stage. The turtle which is considered sacred to the Koreans was transformed into a sea of colour along with an upbeat Korean rhythm.
The national anthem of Greece, home of the Ancient Olympic Games, was played, followed by the Olympic Anthem. IOC President Thomas Bach took the centre stage to handover the Olympic flag to China- the host of the 2022 Games. The Chinese flag was raised and the Chinese national anthem played.
The IOC President was overjoyed at the organizational excellence of this year’s Games. In his concluding speech, Bach reflected his feelings, “These Olympic Winter Games have introduced new events that appeal to new generations. Digital technology has enabled more people in more countries to see winter sports in more ways… Therefore I can truly say: the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 are the Games of New Horizons.”
Eight of the stars of the PyeongChang Games representing all five continents – Martin Fourcade of France, Nao Kodaira of Japan, Seun Adigun of Nigeria, Yun Sungbin of Republc of Korea, Ryom Tae-ok of People’s Republic of Korea, Lindsey Vonn of the USA, Liu Jiayu of China and Pita Taufatofua of Tonga joined the IOC President on the stage, to express a collective word of thanks to the host nation on behalf of the Olympic family.
It was the time to celebrate one last time…a time that went into history. See you all in China 2022.
Final Medal Position
| COUNTRY | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| NORWAY | 14 | 14 | 11 | 39 |
| GERMANY | 14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| CANADA | 11 | 8 | 10 | 29 |
| UNITES STATES OF AMERICA | 9 | 8 | 6 | 23 |
| NETHERLANDS | 8 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
| REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 5 | 8 | 4 | 17 |
| OLYMPIC ATHLETES FROM RUSSIA | 2 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
| SWITZERLAND | 5 | 6 | 4 | 15 |
| FRANCE | 5 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
| SWEDEN | 7 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
| AUSTRIA | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| JAPAN | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| ITALY | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| FINLAND | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| GREAT BRITAIN | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| BELARUS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| SLOVAKIA | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| AUSTRALIA | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| POLAND | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| SLOVENIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| SPAIN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| HUNGARY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| UKRAINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| BELGIUM | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| KAZAKHSTAN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LATVIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LIECHTENSTEIN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
