South Korea brought the curtain down on its “Peace Games” yesterday, with athletes dancing and singing together at a vibrant closing ceremony, although there was little warmth between dignitaries from the US and North Korea.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in, who hopes to use these Games as an opportunity to engage with the North, warmly greeted US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka before offering a brief handshake to North Korean delegation leader Kim Yong-chol.
Trump sat front and center, beside Moon’s wife, while Kim was seated a row behind, decked out in a long black jacket and furry hat. Sitting two seats along from him was General Vincent Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea.
Photo: AP
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach paid tribute to the athletes, saying they were an example to the world.
“You have shown how sport brings people together in our fragile world; you have shown how sport builds bridges,” he said. “The IOC will continue this Olympic dialogue, even after we extinguish the Olympic flame. In this, we are driven by our faith in the future.”
During his speech, Bach invited several athletes to join him on stage, including South Korea’s gold medalist skeleton rider Yun Sung-bin, North Korean figure skater Ryom Tae-ok, US skier Lindsey Vonn and Tongan flag carrier Pita Taufatofua.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Bach signed off by calling upon the youth of the world to gather in Beijing in four years’ time for the 2022 Winter Games.
With the ceremony showcasing cutting-edge South Korean technology and a remarkable drone show that dotted out the image of the Games mascot Soohorang, a white tiger, in the night sky, athletes marched into the stadium, many wearing their medals.
The Russian flag, absent at the opening ceremony, was again nowhere to be seen after the IOC decided not to lift the suspension on their country.
Photo: EPA-EFE
It was a bitter-sweet day for Russian athletes, who, after savoring the high of winning a nail-biting men’s ice hockey final yesterday, then had to march without their flag.
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