Highlights Of The Pyeongchang Olympics Closing Ceremony, In Photos

By Hannah Bloch,

Published February 25, 2018 at 10:11 AM CST

Artists perform near the Olympic flame during the closing ceremony. "Although parting is sad, we will remember Pyeongchang with beautiful memories," said Lee Hee-beom, the Pyeongchang Olympics organizing committee president.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics concluded Sunday evening in South Korea. The closing ceremony saw fewer athletes than the opening event 17 days ago — some Olympians have already gone home — but didn't skimp on pageantry, K-pop and expressions of hope for peace between the two Koreas.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (from left), his wife Kim Jung-sook, Ivanka Trump and North Korean Gen. Kim Yong Chol (back right) attend the closing ceremony.

Ivanka Trump, daughter of the U.S. president, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sat near a visiting North Korean general, Kim Yong Chol, believed to be a former spy chief, whose delegation had earlier been met with a sit-in by conservative South Korean lawmakers near the border crossing.

"Although parting is sad, we will remember Pyeongchang with beautiful memories. Athletes, you are true champions," said Lee Hee-beom, the Pyeongchang Olympics organizing committee president. "The seed of peace you have planted here in Pyeongchang will grow as a big tree in the not-distant future. The hope and aspirations of South and North Korean athletes together with cheerleaders will definitely serve as a cornerstone of the unification of the Korean Peninsula."

Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, said North and South Korea "have shown how sport brings people together in our very fragile world. You have shown how sport builds bridges."

With the Olympic flame extinguished in Pyeongchang, the torch has been passed to Beijing. In 2022, the Chinese capital will host the next Winter Games. In the meantime, we have the Summer Olympics to look forward to in Tokyo in 2020.

Although some athletes had already gone home, the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics didn't skimp on pageantry or celebration.

Figure skaters Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France march in the parade of athletes. Their music choices for their routines drew a lot of attention from the media and on YouTube.

Flags of the participating nations are projected onto the stands as athletes enter the stadium. Unlike in the opening ceremony, there is no specific order for procession as all athletes come together.

As part of the ceremony, 400 performers come in holding LED balls, followed by giant balloons that refer to the globe.

Tongan cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua (left) once again marched bare-chested in frigid weather and met onstage with China's silver medalist snowboarder Liu Jiayu and U.S. bronze medalist skier Lindsey Vonn.

The ceremony began with a montage of the achievements and notable moments of the Winter Games. Other moments included a dance performance.

According to the ceremony guide, K-pop singer CL performed "The Baddest Female," "representing passion and the venturing spirit," and 2NE1's hit song " 'I Am the Best' to convey the message that everyone is a winner."

The two-hour ceremony, featuring fireworks, started at 8 p.m. on Sunday in South Korea – 6 a.m. ET Sunday in the U.S.

Four-time Olympian Arianna Fontana of Italy donned the gold, silver and bronze medals she won in the short track speedskating events in Pyeongchang.

The Olympic flame of the 2018 Winter Olympics is extinguished amid fireworks at the closing ceremony. The next Winter Games will be held in 2022 in Beijing.

North Koreans and South Koreans walk side by side. Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, said North and South Korea "have shown how sport brings people together in our very fragile world."

An elaborate, illuminated performance celebrates the Winter Games' next site, Beijing, complete with an appearance by skating pandas.

French biathlon champion Martin Fourcade (center), who won three gold medals in Pyeongchang, poses for a selfie with athletes and volunteers during the closing ceremony.

The Olympic flame is extinguished in the cauldron. But Olympics fans will have to wait just over two years for another fix — the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Members of Olympic Athletes from Russia teams parade in. The athletes had to compete under a neutral flag after the nation's official team was banned from the games.

Drones light up the sky in the shape of Soohorang, the white tiger Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games mascot. The winning athletes were given plush tigers in Soohorang's image.

Performers deliver a South Korean flag. Organizers had promised that the Olympic Stadium would be "filled with the roar of compliments and the applause of friendship."

Corrected: February 24, 2018 at 11:00 PM CST

A caption in a previous version of this story described Lindsey Vonn as a gold medalist. Although she won a gold medal in a previous Olympics, she took home bronze in Pyeongchang.