Gamesbids’ Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony Live Chat

[munichfan]

2 hours ago, StefanMUC said:

Don’t forget the park is pursuing a bid for UNESCO heritage. That will complicate future construction if it passes.

One should hope this is limited to the Zeltdach area. If the new arena on the grounds of the used-to-be velodrome wasn't seen as a problem, I hope they won't be too keen on keeping the old boxing venue, given it wasn't even built as part of the Olympic Park project (though I do have to say the façade with its original ticket booths does have a certain charm to it). By the way, have you heard if that full stadium renovation to get back to international standards for sports events is still on the agenda? I haven't heard anything of that one recently.

[FYI]

11 minutes ago, Olympian2004 said:

I can view the video as well, so maybe it is not geo-blocked at all. Good to see it in its entirety so quickly after the ceremony. 

Can't see it in the U.S. So have'll to catch on Primetime. The first half-hour or so, can easily be missed, since all it mostly involved was just the athletes walking into the stadium anyway.

[StefanMUC]

5 minutes ago, munichfan said:

One should hope this is limited to the Zeltdach area. If the new arena on the grounds of the used-to-be velodrome wasn't seen as a problem, I hope they won't be too keen on keeping the old boxing venue, given it wasn't even built as part of the Olympic Park project (though I do have to say the façade with its original ticket booths does have a certain charm to it). By the way, have you heard if that full stadium renovation to get back to international standards for sports events is still on the agenda? I haven't heard anything of that one recently.

At the risk of going further off topic...I think they're just doing the basic stuff so that it's ok for the European Champs now. The regatta course is apparently in dire straits and a lot will be makeshift for the EC - full renovation has been denied for now. And yeah, the current ice rink is an ugly misfit anyway, so maybe they can build something more suited to the rest of the ensemble.

Maybe we should start a "Fantasy Munich bid" thread ;-)

[munichfan]

2 minutes ago, StefanMUC said:

Maybe we should start a "Fantasy Munich bid" thread ;-)

Well, it seems to be on the cards for DOSB, so why not? Cuuld be fun.

[Nacholympic]

After 20 years, Salt Lake 2002 closing ceremony still remains as the best closing ceremony for the winter games...

It's even one of th best closing ceremony for both Summer and Winter games...

[Olympian2004]

1 hour ago, munichfan said:

Well, it seems to be on the cards for DOSB, so why not? Cuuld be fun.

If you do, count me in. It might be a good opportunity to get more active in this forum again. And Munich has a special place in my heart, it would be fantastic to see the Games return there, this time under happier circumstances.

[Anthony]

The Closing overall was alright. I hope this isn't the formula we should be expecting in the years to come. The lack of artistic segments and highlighting the host culture is sad. Nothing really stood out until the handover.

I really enjoyed the Milano Cortina Handover. I WAS NOT expecting a rendition of the national anthem like that. Malika did very well. The violinist was a little off putting. It was very futuristic. "Duality, Together" isn't memorable and doesn't roll off the tongue, I'm not sure what they were thinking there. I get the idea, it just doesn't work for me. The dance routine, the music, lighting and graphics were all very cool. The dancers got lost in the graphics in the overhead shots. I did enjoy it for what it was. It gives me hope that we'll get a return to what the games used to be in the 2000s.

The Extinguishing of the Flame was really enjoyable actually. Well choreographed and pleasing to the eye. I wish there was more You and Me. It was somewhat emotional and celebratory, and I liked it. The fireworks were great and the roof shots were spectacular. They definitely amped up the cinematography for these ceremonies. 

I think I would've enjoyed it even more if there was more "China" in the ceremony. The last video roll-in before the OBS outro was what I expected these ceremonies to be. Lions, Dragons, Lanterns, traditional music, traditional fashion, red, gold, celebration. But we got cold blues and western music. The latter half of the ceremony was memorable, the first bit, not so much. 6/10. Looking forward to Paris and MC!

[Nacholympic]

On YouTube now are available both closing and opening ceremony ...

[TorchbearerSydney]

Because China is so disliked around the wrld these days, I wonder if they took the "China" out of the ceremonies on purpose?

You would barley know these Games were in China - the ceremonies were inoffensive and generic like a Disney production, and even the look ofthe Games was just soft blue mountains (no bright red lanterns etc)....and there was no Chinese music to be heard anywhere.

[FYI]

Yet Chinese food is loved by so many around the world!

[Victorian]

Didn’t like the fake clapping over the PA system 

[Sir Rols]

13 minutes ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Because China is so disliked around the wrld these days, I wonder if they took the "China" out of the ceremonies on purpose?

You would barley know these Games were in China - the ceremonies were inoffensive and generic like a Disney production, and even the look ofthe Games was just soft blue mountains (no bright red lanterns etc)....and there was no Chinese music to be heard anywhere.

Agree. It was really “off” how bland and understated the whole games were, especially considering how China is playing up nationalism so much in it’s “Wolf Warrior” era. 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Sir Rols

[FYI]

14 hours ago, krow said:

i never watch the gala what's the point, there's no medal on the line.

It’s still entertaining, though. They skate more freely & with less stress. Like Alysa Liu skating to “loco” lol.

[FYI]

Wow, Nathan Chen was great at the gala, too. That flip at the end of his routine was incredible.

And I swear, that dancing ‘condom’ panda  is just hysterical every time they go to commercial break! 

[Australian Kiwi]

Its important to note that you can love Chinese culture and heritage and be against their Government's actions. The two are not the same. 

Beijing is actually one of my favourite cities in the world and have visited many times. That said I thought 2022 was a cold cynical joke of an Olympics. 

I know this sounds... problematic.. and probably western bias but I don't feel that Asian organisers really get the Olympics. After all its a very Euro-centric institution so that is not surprising. 1988, 1998, 2008, 2018, 2020 and 2022 all have a certain insincerity to them. Again - that's probably my own bias at play. 

The last decade has been rough - a well played but nationalistic Sochi, an unremarkable Rio and PyeongChang and two COVID hit Games... I'm really looking forward to Paris, Milan, LA and Brisbane. Hopefully simple and joyful affairs. 

[TorchbearerSydney]

Q: Its important to note that you can love Chinese culture and heritage and be against their Government's actions.

Good point- I love China and its people, and have visited a dozen times and traversed every inch from Beijing to Kashgar, Tibet to Xinjiang.

My sister travels alone (she is 70) from NSW to Western China for a few months every other winter, and just potters around on local buses. She loves it.

 

[FYI]

The handover was the best thing. The rest was just there.

[Scotguy II]

The best part of both ceremonies was when they sang auld lang syne..... trust the Scots to save the day yet again  

[baron-pierreIV]

WHere's the AUld Lang Syne part?  Never saw it.  It actually appeared in the final episdoe of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL but not in the edited NBC version of CLosing.  

[Scotguy II]

20 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

WHere's the AUld Lang Syne part?  Never saw it.  It actually appeared in the final episdoe of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL but not in the edited NBC version of CLosing.  

After the extinguishing of the torch and fireworks

[munichfan]

11 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Because China is so disliked around the wrld these days, I wonder if they took the "China" out of the ceremonies on purpose?

You would barley know these Games were in China - the ceremonies were inoffensive and generic like a Disney production, and even the look ofthe Games was just soft blue mountains (no bright red lanterns etc)....and there was no Chinese music to be heard anywhere.

Ceremonies focussing on Lunar New Year tradition could have been so cute. Chinese culture is beloved around the world. Missed opportunity here.

[PikyoK]

My thoughts of the Closing Ceremony of Beijing 2022

I thought the start was a bit unprecedented as there was no countdown or intro video like what we got at Tokyo and past closing ceremonies. I loved the snowflake lanterns but I found it cheesy how they played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at the beginning and the fact that children were once again at the centre of the cast although it's nice to see children being happy. The formation of the Beijing 2022 wordmark was a bit weird since the lanterns didn't really form the wordmark instead they had the children standing on it. That for me was quite a generic start to the ceremony. However, I thought the addition of lantern lights in the audience was great. They should've done that for the Opening Ceremony thus being consistent with past ceremonies like PyeongChang, Sochi and London

After the welcoming of the President of China and the IOC President (Mr. I win fencing medals and ruin ceremonies by limiting artistic presence and replacing it with imagine) as well as the Chinese national anthem, We get to another segment where we have ribbons arriving at the stadium and forming a ribbon pattern around the 'cauldron'. I felt that the video graphics of the ribbons entering the stadium were a bit off and was obviously fake. I liked the AR Ribbon when the camera was still but when the camera moved around, the AR ribbon also looked off. I liked the ideas that they were adding cultural elements but was still a bit generic. I found it alright when the ribbon pattern was formed on the stage floor where it was used for the athletes that were planning on marching. 

It was hilarious to watch the athletes march and stay on the pattern especially the Chinese team where they stood still and waved their flags at the audience. It was even more funny to hear the announcer's command the athletes to sit down with the audience twice. I felt as though it was a waste of time for them to stand there and then go to their seats. 

The video montage of the highlights made me happy and melancholic as the winter games were coming to an end, regardless of the political status of any country. The snowboard from the video and how it was used as the podium for the medal and handover ceremonies were very clever. The lanterns gifted to the volunteers seemed very cool in design. 

It was nice to see more artistic representations in the next segment where the theme of twigs used to give to friends who are parting. The LED twigs people were holding seemed to be consistent with the opening segment of the Opening ceremony with the large bendable grass sticks. The light from the centre of the stadium was very well executed. The violins and soundtrack added to the sadness and hope of more Olympics to come. It was truly heartwarming to see the video of athletes hugging and being happy during the Games. 

I hated how the children looked at each other and danced to the Olympic anthem. It was so cringeworthy and was absolutely not needed. I felt like the 2008 acapella was better than the 2022 one. 

I really loved the Italian anthem and Malika Ayana's rendition. I loved how the rendition was the same as the one used for the Torino 2006 ceremonies but spiced up with the violin and instrumentals. I enjoyed the MC2026 Presentation from the theme of duality with the mountain and the city represented, the music seemed futuristic and motivating and the costumes were great. The projections complemented very well with the music and dancing and showcased the geography of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games very well. The theme of using Milan and Cortina as personas were so clever. The videography of Milan, Cortina and the respective regions of Lombardy and Veneto were splendid. The presence of people in Italy was exciting to see and made me look forward to MC2026 already. The videography was a bit like Paris' handover but nevertheless was just as exciting. It's amazing how minimalist one can get when doing presentations. Although I'm not a fan of simplicity, the MC2026 handover was executed very well and more or less saved the Closing Ceremony by having more cultural themes present. Congratulations Marco Balich. It would be nice to see what he does of he gets picked to do the MC2026 ceremonies. 

I was reminded of Oprah when Bach demanded the world to give equal access to vaccines for everyone. It was sad to hear the closing declaration from Bach and the video of Chinese people crying and waving goodbye.

I was surprised to see that I was right when I said that the 2008 re-enactment was the Olympic Rings from the 2008 Opening. There was also 'You and Me' the 2008 theme song and the 'Snowflake' song from 2022 (a la Sochi with Moscow's Goodbye Moscow and Sochi's Goodbye Sochi). And with that the torch was extinguished which marked the end of what I thought was an enjoyable and happy games. The fireworks and auld lang syne was uplifting and ended the ceremony with a bang than with the snowflake song. The Olympics, both Summer and Winter, are always lovely to see no matter the context of the world. 

Overall, I think this was a good ceremony but not my personal favourites. I think there should be more artistic freedom in ceremonies and less generic programs. It was however great to see elements from Chinese culture to be presented once again at the Closing Ceremony. If you add the games to the hype of the Winter Olympics, the ceremonies were consistent but needed a bit more artistic displays to open and close the games with a bang. It was sad but happy to see the closing ceremony and to see Beijing host another exciting games including the ceremonies.

After three consecutive Asian Olympics, I enjoyed watching the three games of PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020, and Beijing 2022 in a comfortable timezone and enjoyed watching the cultures of Korea, Japan, and China come alive at those games. I will miss the Olympics in Asia and can't wait for them to return already. However, I'm really looking forward to go west to Europe for the next European Olympics of Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026. Europe...bring it on!!!

MY VERDICT - 7/10

And on that note, I say Xie Xie, Zai Jien Beijing, Zai Jien Zhongguo, e ci vediamo a Milano Cortina, in Italia!

In the meantime...Rendez-vous à Paris! 

[Ikarus360]

15 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Because China is so disliked around the wrld these days, I wonder if they took the "China" out of the ceremonies on purpose?

You would barley know these Games were in China - the ceremonies were inoffensive and generic like a Disney production, and even the look ofthe Games was just soft blue mountains (no bright red lanterns etc)....and there was no Chinese music to be heard anywhere.

China is disliked as a government, not as a culture. In fact I hated these ceremonies because they lacked the chinese factor I was looking forward so badly.

And get used to these inoffensive stuff. Globalism became intensified in ceremonies thanks to Bach meddling. Its never going to be the same. 

[fatixxx]

5 hours ago, PikyoK said:

My thoughts of the Closing Ceremony of Beijing 2022

...

After three consecutive Asian Olympics, I enjoyed watching the three games of PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020, and Beijing 2022 in a comfortable timezone and enjoyed watching the cultures of Korea, Japan, and China come alive at those games. I will miss the Olympics in Asia and can't wait for them to return already. However, I'm really looking forward to go west to Europe for the next European Olympics of Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026. Europe...bring it on!!!

MY VERDICT - 7/10

And on that note, I say Xie Xie, Zai Jien Beijing, Zai Jien Zhongguo, e ci vediamo a Milano Cortina, in Italia!

In the meantime...Rendez-vous à Paris! 

best pikyok,

a lot of thanks for your good/comprehensively text/message

maybe you eventually want to copy/paste to the other appropiate thread (as welk)

(maybe you havent inadvertently seen the other thread)

 

[SeriousPotato]

The Closing was better than the Opening. Overall, I enjoyed Beijing's ceremonies about the same as 2018; more than 2020; but a major step down from the golden 2000s era. The IOC has got to stop interfering with the artistic direction, it really shows.