When is Winter Olympics closing ceremony and how can I watch it on TV - Beijing 2022 says goodbye

Updated 18/02/2022 at 15:39 GMT

The 80,000-capacity Beijing National Stadium - also known as the ‘Bird’s Nest’ - will be the final setting after nearly three weeks of unforgettable winter sports action. The festivities will be directed by film director Zhang Yimou as China prepares to hand over to 2026 hosts Milan. Watch every moment of the Games on discovery+.

Performers dance during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on February 4, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Wei Zheng/CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images)

Image credit: Getty Images

Nearly three weeks of thrilling action will draw to a close as an unforgettable Winter Olympic Games comes to an end.

Beijing has seen joy, tears, anger and no shortage of controversy as the world's best winter sports athletes have given their all in pursuit of gold.

As the Games reach their finale, fans and competitors alike can already start looking forward to Milan 2026 - but not before this year's hosts say goodbye in the form of the traditional closing ceremony.

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When does it start?

The closing ceremony begins Sunday at 12pm UK time (8pm Beijing time), with Eurosport 1's coverage beginning at 11:30am.

You can see it all on Eurosport 1 and discovery+.

Filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who also directed the opening ceremony as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games at the same venue – the 80,000-capacity Beijing National Stadium, also known as the ‘Bird’s Nest’ - is in charge of the action.

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What will happen during the ceremony?

The official motto of the Games is 'Together for a shared future' which reflects the challenges the world has faced through the Covid-19 pandemic and other issues such as global warming. Like the opening ceremony, this is expected to be reflected in the closing ceremony performance.

Authorities have naturally kept exact details of what to expect from the festivities under wraps but viewers can expect to see typical Olympic closing ceremony staples such as:

The parade of participating nations
Final medals being awarded to those competing on the day of the ceremony
The handover of the Olympic flag to the next host city - in this case, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy
A speech from IOC president Thomas Bach
The extinguishing and re-lighting of the Olympic flame
Fireworks! Lots of fireworks!