Olympics: Milan Cortina Winter Games end with Japan at new height

VERONA, Italy - The curtain came down on the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with Sunday's closing ceremony at the ancient Arena di Verona marking the end of the landmark games featuring 116 medal events, staged for the first time across four clusters in northern Italy.

Figure skater Kaori Sakamoto and speed skater Wataru Morishige were the flagbearers for the Japanese team, which waved Japanese and Italian flags, as it did at the opening ceremony, after achieving its Winter Games-best 24 medals, including a record-tying five golds alongside seven silvers and 12 bronzes.