Olympic Closing Ceremony Time 2022: TV Schedule, Time for Delayed Viewing

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics drew to a close Sunday morning (Sunday evening in China) with the closing ceremony.

Directed by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, the closing ceremony was both a celebration of this year's Winter Games and a transition to the 2026 games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest.

Keeping with Yimou's envisioned theme of world unity, athletes walked together instead of being grouped by nation as in the opening ceremony. As the athletes entered the ceremony a traditional Chinese knot was displayed to further emphasize global togetherness.

While the athletes walked together, delegates still honored their countries by carrying their national flags. For the United States, bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor was chosen for the honor.

Meyers Taylor was initially scheduled to carry the flag in the opening ceremony but was unable to do so after testing positive for COVID-19.

"I was so honored to be named the opening ceremony flag bearer, but after not being able to carry the flag, it's even more humbling to lead the United States at the closing ceremony," Meyers Taylor said, per Bill Chappell of NPR.

Like in the opening ceremony, the closing performance was a group effort centered around Chinese youth. Performers danced to "Moment of Remembrance, The Message of a Willow Twig" in the center of the arena as part of the ceremony.

However, that was not the only dancing on display. The closing ceremony was a fun-filled affair and very much a celebration.

The Olympic flag was also handed off from China to Italy, marking the transition from the 2022 Olympics to the 2026 Winter Games.

The next Winter Olympics may not showcase the same sense of togetherness we saw in Beijing, as events are planned to be held across 10,000 square miles at separate sites in northern Italy.

"Everyone will be in their own area. It's good to take advantage of the existing structures and not consume and build new venues; from an ecological standpoint it will be much better," Italian Alpine skier Federica Brignone said, per Travis Pittman, Andrew Dampf and Stephen Wade of the Associated Press. "But in terms of Olympic atmosphere, I'm not sure how it will be."

The sense of camaraderie was on full display at the Beijing closing ceremony, though, in what truly was an entertaining and fun-filled event.

Fans who didn't stream the closing ceremony live are in luck, as NBC will re-air the event twice Sunday evening—at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET.

Figure skating announcers Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir and sportscaster Terry Gannon will host an "enhanced" broadcast during the re-air. Based on NBC's re-air of the opening ceremony, fans can likely expect a special focus on American athletes during the broadcast.

The re-air will be available for streaming on Peacock. The closing ceremony can also be found at NBCOlympics.com, along with an extensive list of event replays. Full event replays can be found there, and fans who want to relive some of their favorite Olympic moments before catching the closing ceremony re-air will have no trouble doing so.