TURIN, Italy, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The 20th Winter Games came to a close with two thrilling competitions, followed by closing ceremonies.
Sunday's final gold medal went to Sweden, which produced an entertaining 3-2 victory over Finland in the hockey championship game. Finland was unbeaten coming into the gold medal contest.
The marathon of cross-country skiing had an amazing finish with the top three crossing the line in the span of nine-tenths of a second after traveling 50 kilometers. The race was won by Italy's Giorgio di Centa.
Russia, which collected only 13 medals in Salt Lake City, had 22 in Turin. Canada's 24 medals were an all-time record for that country. Germany won five fewer medals than it did in Salt Lake City, but with 29 still led the medal chart.
The closing ceremonies included the traditional invitation for the athletes to gather again in four years. The next Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver.
When the Games were held in Calgary in 1988, there were 46 medal events. There were 84 medal events contested in and around Turin.
