Olympic 'Games of New Horizons' Close in Pyeongchang
Athletes walk into the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018.
Hailing the Pyeongchang Olympics as "the games of new horizons", the International Olympics Committee declared the 2018 winter games closed Sunday.
In his speech at the Games' closing ceremony, IOC president Thomas Bach praised North and South Korea for marching together during the opening ceremony, saying, "You have shown how sport brings people together in our fragile world; you have shown how sport builds bridges," Bach told the Korean athletes.
Bach handed the Olympic flag to the mayor of Beijing, which will host the next winter Olympics in 2022. The Chinese capital will be the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympic games, after it hosted the summer edition in 2008.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, center, receives the Olympic flag from Sim Jae-guk, left, the mayor of Pyeongchang, during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
Following his closing speech, Bach posed for photos with a few standout athletes, including Tongan cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua, who attended both ceremonies bare-chested, despite the cold.
South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO performed for the closing ceremony, which included a drone show, fireworks, and the extinguishing of the Olympic torch.
In Photos: Closing Ceremony of 2018 Winter Olympics
In Photos: Pyeongchang Olympics Closing Ceremony
1/18Fireworks explode over the Olympic flame during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018.
2/18Afghan Special forces patrol a deserted street during fighting with Taliban fighters, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.
3/18Performers carry lights during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
4/18Performers dance during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
5/18Flag bearers from various nations attend the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
6/18From front row left, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, his wife, Kim Jung-sook, and Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter, watch the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics along with Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, standing third from back row left, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018.
7/18Dancers perform during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
8/18Thirteen-year-old guitarist Yang Tae-hwan plays a variation on 'Winter' from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018.
9/18International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, center, receives the Olympic flag from Sim Jae-guk, left, the mayor of Pyeongchang, during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Feb. 25, 2018.
10/18Athletes from United States walk in the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
11/18Performers dance during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
12/18Artists perform during the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, Feb. 25, 2018..
13/18Canadian athletes walk into the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
14/18Athletes from Africa walk in the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Feb. 25, 2018.
15/18Athletes from North Korea and South Korea attend the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeangchang, Feb. 28, 2018.
16/18Artists perform during the closing ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, in South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018.
17/18Finnish athletes enter the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018.
18/18A general view during the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, Feb. 25, 2018..
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President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump lead the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremonies, sitting in the same box as President Moon Jae-In of South Korea and Kim Yong Chol — vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Worker's Party Central Committee.
Ivanka Trump, left, and Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, right, attend the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018.
Yonhap New Agency reported the North Korea delegation said Pyongyang was willing to hold talks with the United States, but the White House denied that anyone in the U.S. delegation spoke with North Korean officials at the ceremony.
"Ivanka Trump and General Brooks watched in President Moon's box and Ivanka sat next to the first lady of the Republic of Korea ... There was no interaction with the North Korean delegation," a senior administration official said.
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