BEIJING — Sunday is the final day of the 2022 Winter Olympics. There isn’t a lot of notable action to speak of with the Games concluding, but there is one big Canadian story to be on the look out for.
Here are five things to watch at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 20.
Spectacular closing ceremonies to come
The Olympics are coming to an end but that doesn’t mean they will end with a whimper. No, if the opening ceremony — with its glowing snowflake, dazzling digital displays and fireworks — was any indication, we should be in for another over-the-top show before the flame is extinguished in Beijing. The Olympic closing ceremony is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET.
Plenty of options for Canadian closing flag-bearer
As part of the closing ceremony, each nation will have its designated flag-bearer and Canada has no shortage of options to lead the maple leaf contingent into the 'Bird's Nest' stadium. Strong candidates include women’s hockey MVP Brianne Jenner, snowboarder Max Parrot, speedskater Isabelle Weidemann, and short-track's Steven Dubois. You can’t go wrong with any of these gold-medal winning Olympians.
Last chance for Kripps to land on podium
After a disappointing 10th-place finish in two-man bobsled, former Canadian gold medallist Justin Kripps will be shooting for a better result in the four-man. Kripps figures he learned some tricks of the Yanqing track, nicknamed the Flying Snow Dragon, in the two-man competition that will help him reach the podium in Sunday's event. "It's possible for sure. We have a good chance. We just need to go out there and execute as best we can," he said.
ROC vs. Finland for men’s hockey gold
Though Canada won’t be participating, one of the marquee events of the Winter Games will still be played on Sunday as the Russian Olympic Committee and Finland meet in the men's hockey final. Both teams feature familiar former NHLer names such as Leo Komarov, Markus Granlund and Sami Vatanen on Finland and Artem Anisimov, Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Nesterov on the Russian side. Â
Cross-country race to close the Games
Like the marathon in the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics will end with a mass start endurance race. On Sunday, it’s the women’s 30-kilometre cross-country skiing race. Canada isn’t expected to be a major contender in the event, but Canadian Olympians have surprised us before at these Games (remember that ski jumping medal?). Realistically, though, the medal-count-leading Norwegians will be out to cap off what has been an record-breaking Games for Scandinavian country with even more hardware.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2022.
The Canadian Press
