1994 Winter Olympics closing ceremony

1994 Winter Olympics closing ceremony
Part of 1994 Winter Olympics
Date27 February 1994 (1994-02-27)
Time20:00-23:00 CET (UTC+9)
VenueLysgårdsbakken
LocationLillehammer, Norway
Coordinates61°07′32″N 10°29′16″E / 61.1256°N 10.4879°E / 61.1256; 10.4879
Filmed by1994 Olympic Radio and Television Organisation (NRK ORTO '94)

The closing ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics was held in Lysgårdsbakken in Lillehammer, Norway on 27 February 1994. All spectators were handed a flashlight with the inscription "Remember Sarajevo" – the host of the 1984 Winter Olympics which was at the heart of the Bosnian War. The first entrants on the stage were Liv Ullmann and Thor Heyerdal,[1] followed by the athletes' precession. After the flag had been transferred to Nagano mayor Tasuku Tsukada, speeches were held by Lillehammer mayor Audun Tron, LOOC head Gerhard Heiberg and IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch. The latter used his speech to commemorate Sarajevo's situation,[2][3] before giving Heiberg the Olympic Order in gold, and declaring the games "the best Olympic Winter Games ever".[2][4] Artistic presentations followed, revisiting many of the themes from the opening ceremony. The mascots of the 1998 Winter Olympics, the "Snowlets", were also presented. Of the 2,200 people performing in the opening and closing ceremonies, only 50 were professionals.[5]

  1. ^ LOOC (III): 161
  2. ^ a b "SPEECH OF THE IOC PRESIDENT AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE XVII OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES" (PDF). LA84 Foundation. 22 February 1998. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  3. ^ LOOC (III): 163
  4. ^ LOOC (III): 164
  5. ^ LOOC (III): 166