Winter Olympics: K-pop stars entertain athletes, spectators at closing ceremony

General view during the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 25, 2018. Pic/ AFP

South Korean K-pop artists CL and EXO took the stage at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics here on Sunday, paying compliments to athletes for their hard work and victories. At the closing ceremony, hip-hop songstress CL took the stage to present the future vision of the country through K-pop under the theme of "Song of Passion", reports Yonhap news agency. Following a segment that honoured and recognised volunteers at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, CL, formerly a member of girl group 2NE1, entered the stage at the Olympic Stadium, singing her hit song "The Baddest Female," with fireworks.

She later sang 2NE1's song, "I am the Best," which emphasized that everyone at the Olympics is a winner. CL's performance lasted less than 10 minutes, but it was enough to draw cheers at the open air arena. The K-pop artist's performance at the closing ceremony was followed by the Olympic flag hand over ceremony, when PyeongChang Mayor Sim Jae-guk returned the Olympic flag to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who later gave the flag to Chen Jining, the mayor of the 2022 Winter Olympics host city, Beijing.

After Bach's speech, eight-member boy band EXO took the stage. Under the theme of "the Future Depends on Imagination," its programme began with the beat of a traditional gong and an electronic drum. Kai, a member of the group, started his solo performance on a backdrop of drawings by artist Seonglip, mixing music and visual art in fashion. The rest of the EXO members then appeared on four-wheelers and sang their hit single "Growl" with some 40 dancers, heating up the atmosphere of the closing ceremony. They also sang another of their hit songs "Power".

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