5 best moments of the Olympic closing ceremony

Among the highlights: comedy, fireworks, and a sad animatronic bear

Published February 24, 2014 12:13PM (EST)

After two weeks, several health scares, disappointments, and unexpected wins, the 22nd Winter Games have officially ended. Russia's closing ceremony was fitting for the most expensive Olympics in history -- and this time, there weren't any technical malfunctions. Here are the best 5 moments of the closing ceremony:

Sochi's parody of the ring malfunction

The decadence of the Sochi Olympics made the Olympic ring technical malfunction during the Opening Ceremonies all the more amusing to international observers. But the Russians showed that they have a sense of humor during the closing ceremony, when a group of dancers mimicked the original malfunction of four full rings and one stubborn one.

The 62-piano concert

The stage gave way to 62 pianos, which players donning Mozart wigs wheeled around while playing Rachmaninov's "Piano Concert No. 2."

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The crying bear

Sochi's three terrifying animatronic mascots returned to end the evening...and one even cried

Russia's handover ceremony

As Sochi came to a close, Russia handed the honor over to Pyeongchang, South Korea, which will host in 2018. South Korea celebrated by singing its national anthem in the stadium, followed by the athletes dancing.

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Fireworks

The ceremony ended with an impressive display of fireworks that lasted for several minutes:


By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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2014 Olympics Closing Ceremony Olympic Games Russia Sochi Video