-- "Truly exceptional" Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games closed on Sunday with the Olympic spirit shining.

-- Strict COVID-19 countermeasures were in place to ensure participants' safety during the Games.

-- Beijing 2022 is set to leave lasting legacies with over 300 million people engaged in winter sports in China.

BEIJING -- The Olympic flame has been extinguished, bringing down the curtain on the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, but the passion still lingers from the sports gala that has enlivened and inspired the world amid the pandemic.

After all 109 medal events had been decided, the closing ceremony was held on Sunday at the National Stadium in Beijing, the first ever city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. The Olympic baton now has been passed to the Italian cities Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, which will host the 2026 Winter Games.

The 2022 Winter Olympics stands out as it both provided a stage for the world's top winter sports athletes and also highlighted China's efforts to host a safe and sustainable global-scale event.

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), lauded the Beijing Winter Olympics as "truly exceptional" when addressing at the closing ceremony Sunday night.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach speaks at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium on Feb. 20, 2022. [Xinhua/Li Ga]

"The Olympic spirit could only shine so brightly, because the Chinese people set the stage in such an excellent way - and in a safe way," said Bach.

"The Olympic Villages were outstanding. The venues - magnificent. The organization - extraordinary... This unforgettable experience was only possible because of our gracious hosts, the Chinese people," he added.