Closing of the Olympic. Why was a Chinese funeral procession shown at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics? 

So the 2018 Olympics are over. Since the opening ceremony, at which South Korea amazed the whole world with an unprecedented digital show, 14 days have passed, but they flew by in an instant.

"Country" is an online report on a colorful show.

12.25 The flag of the Ukrainian national team will be carried by the golden champion Oleksandr Abramenko.

12.15 At the closing ceremony, the mega-popular South Korean artists of the K-pop group EXO (“Exo”) and rap artist CL will light up. What they will sing is still a secret. But on the other hand, we can get acquainted with their early works and get an impression of their work.

K-pop is short for English Korean pop. The genre originated in South Korea in the 1990s and is a mix of electropop, hip hop, dance music and contemporary R&B.

12.10 The IOC still forbade the Russian team to go to the closing ceremony with the national flag. Flag Olympic Movement will be carried by a volunteer, not someone from the team.

12.08 This Olympics was held under the sign of a doping scandal due to which Russian athletes competed under neutral flag. Moreover, curler Alexander Krushelnitsky and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva were convicted of doping at the games.

After it was proved that they used doping on the Russian national team and sports officials, State Duma Vice Speaker Igor Lebedev lashed out with sharp criticism.

"After the Olympic Games Oh, two of our athletes were caught doping and they don’t really deny it, I understand the boycotts by the Americans and the Czechs of the Biathlon World Cup stage in Tyumen.

I am convinced that the top leadership of the sport should not remain silent. Our officials were silent when we were bent over full program are silent even now. You either protect your country and athletes, or leave. Silence raises many questions. The leader must be responsible for the emergency. No one answered for the removal from the Games. Everyone said, we'll go now and prove everything. We went. What have they proven? Two more times I got caught doping. Such situations do not happen due to the negligence of athletes. The ROC was supposed to provide complete security, but no one did anything. Either this is Russian sloppiness and hope for a chance, or a provocation, which is even worse. I think the boycotts will continue until we make a statement.

In the first case, it was still possible to somehow get out of doping - doping is not needed in curling, they said that the poor guy was drugged with it. And in the second, our bobsledder refused to open the "B" sample. It only speaks of an admission of guilt. That's what you need to think about in such a situation so substituted? I have no good words," Lebedev said.

12.05 Well, well, although Ukraine has only one medal, it is gold, and it becomes more expensive for the fans, because it is the only one. Let's take another look at how Alexander Abramenko became an Olympic champion. It's worth it, by God.

Top 30 countries that have won medals at the Olympics

12.00 So, the national team of Norway became the triumphant of these Games. The Scandinavians won the overall medal standings. They have 39 awards of various values ​​- 14 gold medals, 14 silver and 11 bronze. The second place was taken by Germany (14, 10, 7), the third by Canada (11, 8, 10).

The Ukrainian national team with one gold medal shared 21st place with Hungary.

The first Winter Olympic Games in Russia ended with the victory of the Russian Olympic team in the medal team standings. On account of the Russians 13 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze medals. The performance of the Russian team was the most successful for domestic athletes throughout history Winter Games.

IOC President Thomas Bach thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his personal contribution to the "extraordinary success of these Winter Olympic Games" and the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee. "Today we can say: Russia has fulfilled everything it promised. What took decades in other parts of the world was achieved here in seven years," Bach said. According to him, "everyone who looks at Russia with an open mind has seen the new face of this country: successful and friendly, patriotic and open to the whole world."

Most of the world's media echoed the IOC President, talking about the closing ceremony of the Games. A number of American media especially noted the excellent sense of humor of the organizers of the celebration, who beat the Olympic ring that had not been revealed during the opening ceremony.

On-line translation:

22.27 Moscow time A DJ platform appears on stage. At the podium is DJ Kto (also known as DJ Boomer) - a musician, DJ, producer and promoter who played a significant role in popularizing rap, new rave and drum and bass in Russia. Party time for the dancers to start. They are joined by all athletes and artists who took part in the closing ceremony. And now - a disco.

22.24 Moscow time. A rain of thousands of petals falls on the stage. And over the stadium a new salute.

22.21 Moscow time. Fireworks rumble over the stadium to Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto.

Khibla Gerzmava

Russian and Abkhazian opera singer (soprano), People's Artist of Russia (2012). Soloist of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theatre, Honored Artist of Russia (2006), People's Artist of the Republic of Abkhazia (2006). Gerzmava is world famous for her performances at the Mariinsky Theatre, the London Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Rome Opera, the Paris Opera Garnier and other major stage venues. She was repeatedly mentioned in the press as the "Golden Soprano of Russia".

Continuation

22.17 Moscow time. Hundreds of children appear on the stage again, holding mimosa, a traditional spring flower in the south of Russia and a symbol of the Sochi Olympics.

A magical flying ship appears above the stadium. People's Artist of Russia Khibla Gerzmava and two children are on board. She performs the composition "Herald of Spring".

22.15 Moscow time The Olympic bear drives up to the bowl of fire. The music of Alexandra Pakhmutova "Goodbye, Moscow", which sounded at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, sounds. The song reminded of the mascot of those Games - Misha. Mishka blows out the fire to the music from the Soviet film "Friend among strangers, stranger among friends" (1974). Written by Eduard Artemyev, performed by Igor Matvienko.

"Closing of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow"

22.11 Moscow time Huge mirrored walls appear in the stadium. Lyuba approaches the mirror and sees in it the reflection of the real Bear, the mascot of the Games.

They begin to play together and are joined by two other mascots, Bunny and Leopard. The mirrors move away and open the bowl of the Olympic flame in front of the audience.

22.09 Moscow time The official speeches are over. We are gradually approaching the climax of closing games. Just a little bit left before the Olympic flame extinguishing ceremony. Children appear on the stage again, they play with each other. Luba has a toy bear in her hands.

21.40 Moscow time. Children from Krasnodar Territory carried the Olympic flag. Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov returns the flag to IOC President Thomas Bach, who hands it over to the mayor of the future winter Olympic capital. The 2018 Olympics will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea.

21.34 Moscow time. The stage is empty. The official closing part of the Olympic Games begins. The LED forest is painted in the colors of the Greek flag. The Greek anthem was played. The Olympic anthem is being played. At the stadium "Fisht" is the ceremony of lowering the Olympic flag.

Excerpt from "The Magic of the Circus"

Continuation

21.29 Moscow time. The artistic segment "Magic of the Circus" began. A circus van drives onto the stage, accompanied by clowns, and a huge tent grows in the center of the arena, around which circus performers perform. In total, 400 people take part in the performance. Children watch the circus performance. But gradually the stage becomes dark, the tent disappears, and the fireworks show begins.

21.24 Moscow time. Recall that it was to the waltz of Khachaturian that they performed their short program Olympic champions Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov.

"Waltz of Champions. Music by Aram Khachaturian from the film "Masquerade"."

21.23 Moscow time. To the music of Aram Khachaturian's waltz for Mikhail Lermontov's play "Masquerade" (1941), an excerpt called "Literature" began. A book island appeared in the center of the stage, which was surrounded by 12 desks with portraits of famous Russian writers.

96 librarians and 23 well-known literary characters appear on the scene. Three children walk between the tables and watch the craftsmen at work. Their walk is accompanied by the voice of the announcer, quoting excerpts from the works of great writers.

Children approach a huge book located in the center of the book island and begin to leaf through it.

Excerpt "Literature"

Continuation

21.22 Moscow time The dancers perform a pas de deux (one of the basic forms in ballet, which consists of two dancers entering, an adagio, solo male and female dance variations, and a joint virtuoso coda) from the most famous Russian ballets.

21.20 Moscow time The clouds finally dissipated, and two portal arches appeared on the stage, representing the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres. The curtain rises, and corps de ballet dancers and leading soloists of two theaters dance on the stage. They play the roles of impresario Sergei Diaghilev, prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, her teacher Enrico Cecchetti and other stars who made Russian ballet famous all over the world.

The symphonic suite "Scheherazade" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1888) was performed. The musical work was created based on "A Thousand and One Nights". Performed by the First All-Russian Youth Orchestra.

21.13 Moscow time A piano appeared on the stage from behind the clouds, which is played by the famous Russian pianist Denis Matsuev. He performs Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. The pianist was met by children. Around them, a whirlwind begins to spin, created from 62 pianos with musicians sitting behind them.

21.09 Moscow time The artistic part of the closing ceremony dedicated to Russian culture begins. Painting, music, theatre, literature and circus art are presented at the Fisht stadium. The forest grows again on the stage, and it starts to snow.

Violist Yuri Bashmet and violinist Tatyana Samuil perform Alfred Schnittke's polka. A flying upside-down island appeared above the stadium, depicting the "Chagall Village". It was created based on the paintings of the great Russian artist and is populated with characters typical of his work.

Chagall Village Island

Continuation

The bride and groom, the violinist on the roof, the village animals descended from the artist's paintings float above the stage, on which the children reappear.

21.07 Moscow time The introduction of new members of the Athletes' Commission is underway. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Canadian ice hockey player Haley Wickenheiser have become members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This is followed by a greeting from the volunteers.

Newly elected members of the IOC Athletes' Commission present gifts to volunteers as a token of appreciation and gratitude for their contribution to the Olympic Games in Sochi.

21.04 Moscow time The anthem of the Russian Federation sounds.

21.00 Moscow time The awarding of the winners of the men's mass start at 50 km has begun. In the race, the Russians became the victors, who for the first time in the history of the Winter Games occupied the entire podium. Thanks to the victory of Alexander Legkov, Maxim Vylegzhanin and Ilya Chernousov, Russia won the Olympics.

20.55 Moscow time On Sunday, a joke appeared in the Norwegian media that Marit Bjorgen was found to have doping.

20.52 Moscow time The solemn ceremony of awarding athletes who played the last sets of Olympic medals of the 2014 Games has begun. The heroes of the last two days of the Olympics are the winners and prize-winners of ski marathon races - 30 km (women) and 50 km (men). In the women's race, the entire podium is occupied by representatives of Norway. First place went to Marit Bjorgen, second place to Teresa Johaug and third place to Christine Steira. They are awarded first. The medals are presented by IOC President Thomas Bach and FIS President Gianfranco Kasper. The Norwegian anthem is played.

20.47 Moscow time. The Russian national team completes the parade of athletes. Some of the athletes on the stage began to dance. Others take pictures and post them on social media.

20.40 Moscow time While all the athletes walk through the stadium to their seats to the applause of the audience, let's remember how the national teams of different countries performed.

Of the countries that were part of the Soviet Union, the best after the Russian team was the team of Belarus, which took eighth place in the medal standings. The Belarusians won five gold medals, three of which were won by biathlete Darya Domracheva (link), as well as one bronze medal.

The Ukrainian team took 20th place with one gold and one bronze medal. The Latvian team has two silver and two bronze medals and a final 23rd place. The national team of Kazakhstan closes medal table with one bronze medal. In total, medals of the Games in Sochi were won by representatives of 26 countries.

The main rival of the Russian team at the Games - the Norwegian team - won 11 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals and took second place. Third place in the medal standings for the winner Olympic tournament hockey team Canada.

Fourth place was taken by the US team (9-7-12), the fifth - the Netherlands (8-7-9), becoming the champions in the number of medals won in speed skating.

20.37 Moscow time On the field of the stadium "Fisht" athletes come out from under the stage and take out the flags of their countries. Moreover, they are not divided by country, but go all together, symbolizing the unity of people through sports. The flag of the Russian Federation is carried by figure skater Maxim Trankov.

20.34 Moscow time Drummers from the Moscow Military Musical College are at the stadium.

20.33 Moscow time The Russian flag was raised at the Fisht stadium.

20.29 Moscow time The anthem of the Russian Federation sounds. It is performed by a combined children's choir and a youth orchestra of 1000 people under the direction of Valery Gergiev and a youth orchestra under the direction of Yuri Bashmet.

20.25 Moscow time The Russian flag is brought to the stadium. It is carried by Olympic champions as part of the Russian national team at the Sochi Games.

20.24 Moscow time Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the International Olympic Committee, 1976 Olympic fencing champion Thomas Bach appear in the box of honor. They entered the box from opposite sides and met in the center, greeting each other with a handshake. To the left of Vladimir Putin is the standard-bearer of the Russian national team at the opening of the Games Alexander Zubkov and the coach figure skating Nina Moser.

20.23 Moscow time The fifth Olympic ring was deliberately not revealed at first, as happened at the opening ceremony.

Olympic rings at the Fisht stadium

Continuation

20.22 Moscow time Performers in mirrored costumes glide randomly through the water like schools of fish. Suddenly, unexpectedly, they form five Olympic rings.

20.14 Moscow time The closing ceremony of the Olympics has begun. This part of the ceremony is called "Sky and Sea". An LED forest grows on the stage, which changes colors thanks to the medallions of the audience. Stars twinkle in the sky above the endless expanse of the night sea. A boat appeared at the stadium, in which the boy Yura and the girl Valentina are sitting, as well as the main character - a little girl named Lyubov, already familiar to us from the opening ceremony. Lyubov is holding one of the mascots of the 2014 games - the White Bear.

Sounds like music from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), written by Dmitry Temkin, an American composer of Russian origin. Tiomkin worked in Hollywood, is widely known as a composer of music for westerns. He was nominated for an Oscar 22 times - received this award four times, including two Oscars for High Noon.

20.09 Moscow time In anticipation of the official opening of the ceremony, we recall the words of the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, said at a press conference on Sunday that "the success of the team is always the success of the Games as a whole, which we have seen in many countries - for example, in London. If the team achieves success, then the audience is watching Olympic competitions with great enthusiasm. Our coordinating commission brought to the attention of the organizers of the Games in Sochi that not only the organization itself is important, but also the positive result of the team of the country - the hosts of the Games. I note that you did a good job after the failure in Vancouver. This is incredible progress."

20.00 Moscow time TV viewers are shown the brightest moments of the 2014 Games: victories and defeats, laughter and tears, joy and disappointment of athletes and fans. Everything that will be remembered for the first winter Olympics in Russia.

Continuation

19.41 Moscow time At the stadium "Fisht" they began to "warm up" the audience. The Buranovskiye Babushki and the Gorky Park group have already performed.

19.38 Moscow time The organizers of the closing ceremony of the Games are the chief creative director Konstantin Ernst, Artistic Director, Writer and Stage Director Daniele Finzi Pasca, Lead Set and Prop Designer Hugo Gargiulo, Costume Designer Giovanna Buzzi, Lighting Designer Al Gordon, Lead Choreographer of Crowd Scenes Bryn Walters, Visual Effects Supervisor Maxim Kiriyenko and Musical producer Igor Matvienko.

19.34 Moscow time There are 40 minutes left before the official closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. Spectators are already taking their seats at the Fisht stadium, the same stadium where the opening of the Games took place on February 7.

Legends lit the Olympic flame Russian sports Irina Rodnina and Vladislav Tretiak. “I felt proud when I lit the Olympic flame. Pride that the Olympics is taking place with us, that we prepared everything so wonderfully. After the fire was lit, Vladislav Tretiak and I turned to each other and said: “We are done!" - said Rodnina.

According to Konstantin Ernst, chief creative producer and author of the script for the ceremony, the opening of the Sochi Games was the most high-tech ceremony of its kind in the last 20 years.

“We wanted to show Russia of today and tomorrow. Most people in the world did not expect such a high-tech show from us. I have seen all the Olympics in the last 20 years, so I can say with confidence that there was nothing like ours. It was important to demonstrate that Russia is a different country than it is represented in the West. The media is a great thing. But what they write should be divided in half," he added.

19.30 Moscow time The Russian team won the medal standings at the Winter Olympics for the second time (previously in Lillehammer 1994). The USSR national team succeeded seven more times (Cortina d'Ampezzo-1956, Squaw Valley-1960, Innsbruck-1964 and 1976, Sapporo-1972, Lake Placid-1980, Calgary-1988). Russia became the fourth country to win at home the Winter Olympics, previously done by the USA (Lake Placid 1932), Norway (Oslo 1952) and Canada (Vancouver 2010).

The performance of the Russian team at the Olympics in Sochi was the most successful for Russian athletes in the history of the Winter Games. After the victory of the crew of Alexander Zubkov, Dmitry Trunenkov, Alexei Negodailo and Alexei Voevoda in the bobsleigh competition, Russian team there were 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals (total 33). Thus, the achievement of the USSR national team in Innsbruck-1976 (13-6-8) was surpassed - due to the greater number of second places won in Sochi (11 against 6). Best until current Games Russian result was shown in Lillehammer 1994 - (11-8-4). The Russian team also surpassed best result domestic athletes at the Winter Olympics in terms of the number of awards won - the USSR team in Calgary 1988 won 29 medals.

Closing of the Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

The organizers of the Sochi 2014 Olympics treated the closing ceremony of the most unusual games in the history of the planet. If the winter Olympics at a temperature of +25 degrees above zero at
sea ​​coast might seem surreal to someone, then its closing ceremony became a complete break from reality.

"Russia in Reflections". Photo: RIA Novosti

Extending the line set by the opening of the XXII Winter Olympic Games, the directors of the ceremony continued to acquaint the guests of Sochi with wealth Russian culture and history. But if the lion's share of the action that opened Sochi-2014 was occupied by history with quite tangible and familiar symbols of the epochs passed by our country, then in the closing ceremony the main attention was paid to art. And not classical art like "Morning in a Pine Forest", seascapes and still lifes, but the most abstract art that makes the viewer's imagination work to its fullest.

“Russia in Reflections” was the name of the production shown at the closing of Sochi-2014. But reflections can appear not only in an ordinary mirror, to which we are accustomed. On the surface of Lake Baikal, veiled by the breeze or in a distorted mirror, reflections can take on very bizarre forms.

A mysterious and magical world created at the closing ceremony. Photo: RIA Novosti

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And if at the very beginning the organizers more or less spared the imagination of the fans who managed to get an extra ticket for the ceremony, showing how the sea meets the sky in Sochi, forming a magical play of light from thousands of watts of spotlights, taking shape Olympic symbols and symbols of Sochi, then further, after Vladimir Putin And IOC President Thomas Bach took their places in the stands and the fans paid tribute to the athletes, a real surrealism began.

From the podium, all this action did not look as beautiful as on the TV screen. The movements of the actors seemed a mess, although on the screen it was clear that they portrayed complex figures with filigree accuracy. But the way the organizers played up the error of the opening ceremony was understood by everyone - and it really impressed. From the actors in mirrored costumes, a pattern of five rings was formed, such as the whole world saw them at the opening - four opened and one unopened. The difference between the two ceremonies was only that this time the ring, symbolizing the American continent, after long attempts, nevertheless opened, causing a storm of applause.

The creators of the show managed to beat the opening incident of the Games, causing a storm of applause. Photo: RIA Novosti

Under them, the athletes took the stage. Unlike the first day of the Olympics, when Fisht saw the concentrated glances of the athletes who did not allow themselves too much, on February 23 they ran out into the arena, fooled around, took pictures of each other. We saw free people who can't go to the start tomorrow and can have fun at least one day a year.

Athletes of the Russian national team at the closing ceremony of the Games in Sochi allowed themselves to fool around. Photo: RIA Novosti

Further, after lengthy official award ceremonies, the introduction of new members to the IOC, and so on, in order to immediately remove all the protective mechanisms that did not allow the imagination to float freely, the scriptwriters decided to start with the revived works of outstanding and controversial Russian artists, among which were Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander Deineka And Marc Chagall. The images floating before the eyes of the stadium, appearing almost out of thin air in an unthinkable sequence and crazy forms, were accompanied by music performed by Yuri Bashmet. It was difficult to understand what was happening without additional explanations, but it looked big.

The best musicians and actors gave the audience an exciting show. Photo: RIA Novosti

Starting with the fine arts, the organizers continued to jump into all forms of beauty. A feast for the eyes was replaced by a drug for those with absolute pitch - classical Russian piano melodies were performed by the best masters of the piano. And the place of 62 huge revived instruments that arranged the Brownian movement on the huge stage was taken by two, as if reflecting each other, platforms of the theaters, the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky, the best soloists of which acquaint the audience with the history of theatrical art in Russia.

Closing ceremony of the Olympics in Sochi. Photo: RIA Novosti

Further, literature is one of the least spectacular moments of the ceremony, but also the shortest. The organizers unfurled huge banners onto which portraits of great Russian poets and writers were projected. In parallel, lines from their works sounded. Written classics were replaced by an explosion of emotions, because the stage of the Fisht stadium turned into the world's largest circus arena: clowns, jugglers, acrobats, gymnasts - more than 400 circus performers created a real holiday.

Russian literature was also reflected in the closing ceremony of the Games. Photo: RIA Novosti

Unfortunately, the world in which one would like to stay forever was soon replaced by a more official part of the ceremony - the transfer of the Olympic flag to representatives of the next capital of the Winter Olympic Games - Korean Pyeongchang. This sad action for us was accompanied by a beautiful, Asian-like calm presentation of the hosts of the next Olympics - with trees made of light, the divine voices of two performers and, of course, a musician who performed a traditional composition on a Korean folk 12-string instrument, each of the strings of which symbolizes each of months of the year.

Soon olympic mascots- a bear, a leopard and a hare - performed their last dance, seeing that the Olympic flame was forged by blocks of ice and it was time to say goodbye. Under the rain of billions of mimosa petals, accompanied by children, they will go to eternity. Gone forever, but will remain with us in our hearts. Together with us they saw the triumph of the Russian team, rejoiced at the victories and consoled us in moments of defeat. They personified these Olympic Games, the first Olympic Games in Russia and the most successful for our country. Yes, there were no those emotions of Moscow-80, when everyone saw off the Olympic bear, but we will miss these guys no less.

The fire of the Olympics blew out Olympic bear. Photo: RIA Novosti

And of course the most bright moment- salute, which, unfortunately, was not visible inside the stadium. Like every bright flash, like every light day is replaced by darkness and night, on Olympic Stadium"Fisht" came late evening. The whole country disconnected from Sochi, where thousands of people continued to see off the Olympics with perhaps the craziest party in the history of the country to the music of DJ Kto, who once stood at the origins of our electronic music.

The colorful end of the Olympics was an incredible fireworks display. Photo:

On December 5, the IOC Executive Committee suspended the membership of the ROC, but allowed Russian athletes to compete at the Olympics in the status of "Olympic athletes from Russia" under Olympic flag. It was stipulated that under certain conditions, the Russians would be allowed to march under the flag of their country at the closing of the Olympics. One of these conditions is the payment of $15 million before the end of the Olympics for the development of the international anti-doping system. On February 22, the press service of the ROC announced that all financial requirements of the IOC had been met.

Why wasn't the flag allowed?

IOC chief Thomas Bach reported that the OAR delegation complied with the requirements of the IOC Executive Board, but the decision not to lift the suspension was made due to two doping cases involving Russian athletes that took place at the 2018 Games. “Two doping cases were in the OAR delegation, and this played a major role, a key factor in the decision not to remove the suspension (from OCD). But there was no indication in these cases of a systematic approach or that the OAR delegation was trying to hide it,” Bach said.

According to Head of the IOC Supervisory Commission Nicole Hewertz, The ROC was indeed not involved in the two doping violations of Russian athletes at the Olympic Games in South Korea's Pyeongchang. She made the corresponding clarification in her report, which was read out at the IOC session. “We wanted to show that this is not part of the doping manipulation system. We wanted to clarify that the ROC was absolutely not involved in this, these were isolated cases. This is what we explained, ”the Inside the games portal quotes her as saying.

We are talking about positive doping tests for a curling player. Alexander Krushelnitsky and bobsledders Hope Sergeeva. Krushelnitsky, in whose body the prohibited drug meldonium was found, as well as Anastasia Bryzgalova, in a pair with which he won the Olympic bronze in the mixed doubles tournament, were deprived of awards. Thomas Bach noted their participation in the process of handing over the bronze medals to the Norwegian pair, which took fourth place in the tournament. “In curling, the Russians immediately returned the medal so that we could present it to the Norwegians already at the Olympics. This happened on Medalnaya Square yesterday, this was done to a large extent thanks to the Russian side, thanks to the fact that they behaved this way in this situation, ”added the head of the IOC.

A doping test taken from Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva on February 18 found the banned substance trimetazidine, which is used to treat and prevent heart disease. Sports arbitration court annulled the results of Sergeyeva at the Olympics (12th place in the competition of crews of bean-twos, along with accelerating Anastasia Kocherzhova) and revoked the accreditation of the PyeongChang Games.

When can OCD be restored?

Thomas Bach said that after the end of the Olympics, the IOC will return to considering the return of ROC membership to international organization. "The IOC Executive Board will consider lifting the suspension after the anti-doping unit confirms that there are no other anti-doping violations at the 2018 Olympic Games," Bach said at the IOC session.

TASS, citing the head of the IOC Supervisory Commission, Nicole Hevertz, reports that the restoration of the rights of the ROC may occur as early as the first days of March. “The result of the analysis of all doping samples of Russian athletes from the Pyeongchang Olympics will be presented within a few days, from 48 to 72 hours,” Hevertz explained. - Depending on the sport, the time for testing doping tests may be slightly longer than usual. But in general, we need to get confirmation that there are no more positive samples. We can make a decision remotely, over the phone, so if everything is clear, then we can make a decision very quickly, at the beginning of the month, perhaps even next week.”

When and where to watch the closing ceremony of the Games?

The closing ceremony of the Olympics in Pyeongchang will begin on Sunday, February 25, at 14:00 Moscow time. Channel One will broadcast live from Korea.

On February 7, the whole world watched with bated breath the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Games in Sochi, and now it's time to say goodbye to them. All 17 days we were not only joyful witnesses high-profile victories, but also shared with the athletes the grief and sadness of losing. It seems that these days the inhabitants of our country have rallied more than usual. After all, it was our Olympics.

Today - February 23 - the holiday of defenders and men, is also marked by another joyful event. The Russian team completed their performance at the Olympics, becoming the first in the team medal standings. There were 33 medals in the piggy bank of the country: 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze.

All the details of the final show, just like with the opening ceremony, were kept in the strictest confidence. And only this morning, Konstantin Ernst revealed the secret and spoke about some of the motives and elements of the show, calling it "arthouse".

The closing ceremony was held at the Fisht Stadium

"Warmed up" the audience before the start of the main show "Buranovskiye Babushki" and the group "Gorky Park".

So the ceremony began. The countdown has ended, and the commentators have announced that the main motive of today's closing ceremony is the unity of world culture and world sport.

The magic LED forest was the first to appear before the eyes of 40,000 spectators at the Fisht stadium. Through the air, a boat drove into this forest, in which a boy and a girl in clown costumes were sitting. With them in the boat was the girl Lyuba, known to the audience at the opening ceremony, as well as her friends - little Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin.

The boat soars above the magical forest
There are three children in the boat - Lyuba, Valya and Yura

The boat sailed over the sea. Of course, this is the Black Sea, on the shore of which the first Winter Olympic Games in Russia are held.

Thousands of children perform a patriotic dance in the arena of the stadium, it ends with the fact that its participants line up in the Olympic rings. The last fifth is revealed by a snowflake. Thus, the creators of the show are ironic over the reaction of the world press, which discussed the failure with the visual effect - an unopened ring during the opening ceremony. And they show themselves as people with a great sense of humor and healthy self-irony.

ironically played up episode of failure at the opening ceremony: the Olympic rings and a snowflake

After the end of the first number, the main guests of the ceremony are announced - Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach and others.

Thomas Bach and Vladimir Putin

The ceremony continued with the removal of the flag. Russian Federation. It was carried by the winners of the Olympic Games who competed for Russia - Viktor An, Ekaterina Bobrova, Valentin Voevoda, Alexei Volkov, Tatyana Volosazhar, Vladimir Grigoriev. Semyon Elistratov, Ruslan Zakharov, Elena Ilinykh, Nikita Kosolapov, Fedor Klimov, Yulia Lipnitskaya, Dmitry Malyshka, Evgeni Plushenko, Dmitry Solovyov, Adelina Sotnikova, Ksenia Stolbova, Alexander Tretyakov, Vic Wild, Evgeny Ustyugov and Anton Shipulin.

The country knows the names of its heroes!

Carrying out the flag by Russian Olympians

Thomas Bach and Vladimir Putin greeting athletes The next episode of the show was the performance of a choir of 1000 people led by Valery Gergiev and the All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Bashmet, who performed the anthem of the Russian Federation.

Athletes and spectators at the stadium listened to the anthem while standing.

performance of the anthem

The performance of the anthem was followed by a pompous solemn performance of the ensemble of drummers of the Moscow military school.

Orchestra

After the performance of the drummers, the audience was waiting for the traditional element of the show - a parade Olympic teams carrying the flags of their country. 2856 athletes participated in the Sochi Olympics. The flag of Russia was entrusted to carry Olympic champion figure skater Maxim Trankov.

Maxim Trankov takes out the flag of our country

Ceremonial parade of teams The parade of athletes was accompanied by incendiary music. Spectators on the podium watched the action, dancing. By the way, about the audience - each had a medal (the organizers put them in place in the hall before the ceremony), which has an LED flickering and flashing light inside, changing color during the show. Thanks to these medals, everyone present in the stands has become a full participant in the ceremony.

Spectators

On the stage, where athletes from all countries had already lined up, a hatch suddenly opened, and six people climbed into the arena - athletes who won medals in the competitions of the last day, winners of two mass start races: three Russian skiers and three Norwegian skiers.

Gold, silver and bronze medals in the women's mass start went to Norway

Gold, silver and bronze among men - went to the Russians

It should be noted that the excellent performance of the skiers today played a key role in Russia's victory in the overall medal standings. Welcoming the heroes of the day, the audience of the stadium "Fisht" gave a standing ovation: Alexander Legkov - gold, Ilya Chernousov - bronze, Maxim Vylegzhanin - bronze.

At that time, a real theatrical performance was taking place on the stage - the artistic part of the ceremony dedicated to the cultural heritage of our country - painting, music, theater ... The main motives of the performance were borrowed from Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich. The scenery is amazing, and the light show reaches an unprecedented scale.

Show for the song "Polka"

A huge moon hung over the stage

After "Polka", a new show began on the stage. Denis Matsuev performed "Concert No. 2" by the outstanding Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff. During the performance of the composition, a show took place on the stage with 62 pianos coming to life. Rachmaninov is a reflection of Russian culture of the beginning of the last century, therefore it is his composition that conducts a kind of tour of the art of the past.

Denis Matsuev at the Fisht Arena

Pianos come to life The Russian ballet of Sergei Diaghilev, founded in 1911, is another cultural layer that was impossible to bypass in the representation of our country. Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" turned the culture of the early 20th century upside down.

Ballet is another facet of Russian art

A corps de ballet of 48 performers and 8 soloists created an incredible dance in its scope and beauty. The background for their action was two arches that identified the two main theaters of our country - the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky.

Before the eyes of jubilant spectators, the stadium turns into a library. Sheets of paper fly over the arena, and quotes familiar to our ears begin to sound throughout the stadium. There are lines from the works of Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tsvetaeva, Chekhov, Gogol. The prototypes of heroes appear on the stage, and portraits of great Russian writers, those who glorified Russian culture in the world, fly over the arena.

Show with books - was one of the most spectacular

Portraits of great Russian writers and poets

Music, literature, painting... What will happen next? Another layer of our culture is circus art. Russia is rightfully proud of its circus, which is the best in the world. Durovs, Filatovs, Zapashnys - their names are known all over the world, and traditions are passed down from generation to generation.

A tent is erected on the stage, next to which jugglers, clowns, acrobats and aerialists appear.

The tent on the stage opened in less than one minute

Circus

After a bright light and dance show, the traditional official part followed. The Greek anthem was played as a tribute to the country that gave the world the Olympic Games in 1896.

And then followed the ceremony of handing over the flag to Korea - the country that will host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The anthem of the Republic of Korea entitled "Patriotic Song" was played. Korea introduced their country in a small number prepared for the ceremony.

Korea showed their show on stage

The mascots of the Olympics appear on the stage - a bear, a bunny, a leopard. Around huge life-sized puppets to lyrical music, three friends - Lisa, Yura and Valentina - spun in the final dance. Spectators in the stands cannot hold back their tears, saying goodbye to the Olympics...

Teddy bear, bunny and leopard - symbols of the Olympics in Sochi

Then the Olympic flame appeared on the stage and the music of Eduard Artemyev, which was performed in 1980 at the closing of the Moscow Olympics, began to play. The bear went to the bowl with the Olympic flame and blew it out. A tear rolled down his cheek.

Teddy bear blew out the Olympic flame

The farewell anthem of Sochi was played over the arena of the stadium, performed by the choir under the direction of Valery Gergiev.

Farewell anthem and the last spectacular show of the closing ceremony

Sprigs of mimosa, the symbol of spring, were brought onto the stage. After all, the Olympics succeed each other, like the seasons ... and winter will surely be followed by spring.

This XX Olympic Games ended. Fireworks began over the Fisht stadium, petals rained down on the stage, and a DJ platform with DJ Who appeared on the stage. His appearance marked the beginning of the dance party in honor of the closing of the Olympics.

Farewell fireworks over the Olympic Park

HELLO.RU once again congratulates all Russians on the victory - the athletes who fought, participated in the Olympic Games, as well as the spectators and fans who supported them and believed in the success of our country. Hooray!