As PyeongChang Games end, all eyes are on Beijing

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After the excitement of 17 days of competition, the Olympic flame died out as the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics came to a close in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Themed "The Next Wave", the closing ceremony highlighted the "human spirit of perseverance" and bid farewell to the athletes, referees and audiences of the Games.

The Winter Games have now officially entered Beijing time.

A carnival

Athletes from the ROK and DPRK arrive during the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. /VCG Photo

Athletes from 92 delegations entered the stadium to beating Korean music and those from the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) once again marched together in an echo of the opening ceremony.

After a successful drone display – following an aborted attempt at the opening ceremony, where recorded images were broadcast instead – International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach handed out medals from the final day.

"All of you are truly winners," said Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, in his speech.

"You have shown how sport brings people together in our fragile world; you have shown how sport builds bridges."

"The Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 are the Games of new horizons," he added.

Boy band EXO performs during the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. /VCG Photo

The closing ceremony heavily reflected the ROK's popular K-pop culture, with boy band EXO and singer CL taking the stage.

And the Olympic Stadium turned into carnival scene when the DJs Rayden and Martin Garrix dropped the beat and the audiences flocked into the center stage to get their moves on.

All eyes on Beijing now

As the host of the next Winter Games in 2022, Beijing put on an eight-minute performance after Chen Jining, the mayor of Beijing, was handed the Olympic Flag by Bach.

Beijing's eight-minute show during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics closing ceremony. /VCG Photo

Twenty-four performers, including 22 skaters and two "pandas," took the stage along with 24 giant screens, referring to the 24th edition of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

As the performances went on, the Great Wall, the Bird's Nest and other iconic buildings in China were presented on the screens.

The eight-minute show was a combination of human flavor and artificial intelligence, according to Zhang Yimou, the genius behind the show.

Beijing's eight-minute show during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics closing ceremony. /VCG Photo

The show also saw the pandas travel through time and space to China where people across the country took part in winter sports and called on people around the world to gather in Beijing in four years' time.

Beijing had an eight-minute show during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics closing ceremony. /VCG Photo

The video message ended with Chinese President Xi Jinping sending out his invitation to the world.

"See you in Beijing in 2022," Xi said. "Together with all the Chinese people, I welcome friends from all over the world."

The PyeongChang Olympics began on February 9 and 102 medals in total were handed out.

Norway headed the medal table with 14 golds and 39 medals in total, followed by Germany (14 golds, 31 medals in total) and Canada (11 golds). China ranks 16th with one gold, six silvers and two bronzes.

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