Winter Olympic Games closes in PyeongChang

It’s been a memorable month filled with moments and personalties that the world won’t soon forget.

“And I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has made the Olympic Winter Games here at PyeongChang a platform for and a celebration of peace”.

Flagbearers entered PyeongChang Olympic Stadium before their fellow athletes and stood in a circle in the centre, with the parade then happening around them. In the final game against the USA last week, standard regulation time had ended with a 2-2 tie. Norway’s Marit Bjoergen, Finland’s Krista Parkakoski and Sweden’s Stina Nilsson won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in the women’s 30-kilometer mass start; medals for the men’s 50-kilometer mass start went to Finland’s Iivo Niskanen (gold), Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (silver) and Russia’s Andrey Larkov (bronze).

Student-Athlete Alumni Giving Challenge:In 2017-18, the University of Denver is holding an alumni giving challenge in an effort to increase student-athlete alumni participation in the Denver Athletics Annual Fund. The stakes were high in Pyeongchang as she was among the favorites to win gold in the downhill. None were ever in serious contention to get on the podium. More than that, the USA finished on the podium in every Olympic Games from 1952 to 2006 (with the exception of 1964).

A state-sponsored doping program has had a huge impact on Russian Federation in these Olympics. The Russians have collected 14 medals in total.

Six nations took part in the Winter Games for the first time this year including Nigeria, Malaysia and Singapore.

Christie’s story is as heartbreaking as it is disappointing. Since 2012, she had won eight of the last 12 major races in the event in the World Cup, world championships and the 2014 Sochi Games.

Germany pulled off not one but two surprise upsets in PyeongChang.

High winds forced the postponement of several events during the games.

Norway will leave the 2018 Olympics as the victor in the medals race, and United States Olympic Committee chef de mission Alan Ashley thinks the U.S. can learn a thing or two from the Norwegians. Things haven’t really gone according to plan this year. “We’re going home with a medal and it’s just a great honor and we’re so excited”. That’s better than they were doing earlier in the week, but taken in historical context, it’s still underwhelming.

For the first time in Winter Games history, NBC televised more minutes of women’s competition than men’s. The only large-team gold for Canada was from the figure skating squad.

The United States vowed not to let the gold slip away in Thursday’s final. North’s ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam and Kim Yo-jung, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, even traveled to the South to attend the opening ceremony. Sadly, the lower standard of play has negatively impacted the men’s tournament.

Catch the final two runs of men’s four-man bobsled tonight in Primetime. It happened again on the final day at Alpensia Ski Jumping Center in the final event.

“I want to help our athletes achieve everything they’re capable of”, Ashley said.

As for the economic impact of the Games, that too is speculative.

South Korea has agreed to pay the $2.64 million (£1.89 million/€2.15 million) bill for North Korea’s participation at the Winter Olympics from its Ministry of Unification budget. Americans used to be the ones to beat in figure skating events, but their production has been on a decline.

Watch the entire exhibition gala from start to finish in Primetime on NBC as well as on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.