The Beijing Winter Olympics came to a close on Sunday night as athletes marched into National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, to the sound of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

The 2022 Winter Games were dominated by Norway, which won the first gold medal of the Beijing Games, and captured its 16th and final gold on Sunday in the final cross-country skiing race of the Games. Norway’s total was a gold medal record for one country at a single Winter Game.

Final Olympic Medals Count: Norway’s 37 overall medals was the most in this year’s Olympics, and was five more than Russia, which finished second in the medals count. Russian athletes competed as the “Russian Olympic Committee,” due to a doping scandal resulting in sanctions against the country. Russia is expected to be officially recognized again at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Germany was third overall with 27 medals. Most of which were won in the sliding sports of bobsled, luge and skeleton, accounting for 16 medals. Nine of its 12 gold medals were in those sports.

Canada was fourth overall with 26. While 11 medals came from the action sports of snowboard and freestyle skiing, nine were won in short track and long track speed skating.

How The U.S. Ranked: The United States finished fifth in the count with 25 total medals, eight gold, ten silver and seven bronze. Team USA took home 12 medals in snowboarding and freestyle skiing.

The Americans won 13 medals in women’s-only events, eight medals in men’s events and four in mixed team.

Sweden, Austria and Japan tied for sixth with 18 total medals. Netherlands and Italy both had 17 to round out the top 10.

Host country China was 11th with 15 medals.

Of the 91 countries and territories at the Beijing Winter Olympics, 29 won at least one medal.

Photo: Courtesy of Andy Fowler on Flickr