The 2022 Winter Olympics ended on February 20, 2022, by uplifting closing ceremony.  It saw sporting drama and milestones. However, it was tarnished by a Russian doping scandal.

Highlights

• The Games will be remembered for new stars like Eileen Gu as well as for the doping controversy in which a 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva was involved. This is because, controversy took place inside a vast Covid-secure bubble.
• Closing ceremony was held at Bird’s Nest stadium, which also took centre stage during 2007 Summer Games in Beijing.
• The snowflake-themed closing ceremony was attended by President Xi Jinping.
• During the ceremony, the Games were declared closed and handed over to 2026 hosts Milano-Cortina.

Iconic figures of Winter Sports

• A new global star emerged in form of 18-year-old freestyle skier Gu, since the opening ceremony on February 4. He was born in California but moved to China in 2019. He became the unofficial face of the Games.
• It also witnessed a new men’s figure skating champion in Nathan Chen (22) from United States. He dethroned two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan, in his final appearance at the Games.
• Another iconic figure was American snowboarder Shaun White. His last event ended out of the medals.
• Valieva had failed a drugs test before the Games. This incident catapulted her to the forefront of Russian doping controversy at the Olympics. She was allowed to skate in Chinese capital but she has not been cleared of doping.

Winter Olympic Games

Winter Olympic Games are held once every four years for sports that are practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.