From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Olympic officials hand over flag to Italy at close of Beijing Games
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The president of the International Olympic Committee and the mayor of Beijing hand over the Olympic flag to the mayors of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, which will host the 2026 Winter Games.
This is the first time two cities will officially host the Olympics together. Cortina hosted the games in 1956. This will be the third Winter Games in Italy – Turin hosted in 2006.
Athletes who are still in Beijing after competing at the Winter Games are parading into the stadium for the closing ceremony as “Ode to Joy” plays.
There’s a modest but enthusiastic crowd of invited guests shaking hand clappers and doing the wave at the Bird’s Nest stadium.
Despite COVID concerns ahead of the Games, a strict system that basically turned the Olympics into a giant bubble kept coronavirus cases to a minimum. There have only been 463 positive tests among thousands of visitors inside the bubble since Jan. 23.
The Times of Israel Community.