Pyeongchang organizers promised that the Olympic Stadium, which seats 35,000, will be "filled with the roar of compliments and the applause of friendship."
The two-hour ceremony started at 8 p.m. on Sunday night in South Korea – 6 a.m. ET Sunday in the U.S. It began with a segment called "Countdown: Dream for Tomorrow," featuring performers paying tribute to the athletes.
Even as it celebrates the achievements of the past three weeks, the ceremony also looks ahead to Japan — Tokyo is slated to host the Summer Olympics in 2020 — and to China. In 2022, Beijing will become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
At Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, the order of entry is the same as in the opening ceremony, when the U.S. entered the Olympic Stadium 26th.
Visiting delegations are ordered according to the alphabet of the host nation. The host delegation always enters last.
Team USA follows countries whose names begin with "M" — so, after Malta and Mongolia – and before the Bs, such as Bermuda and Belgium. Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins is the U.S. flag bearer.
NPR
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