Olympics say goodbye to Asia after a star-crossed run

The Italian flag, right, flies next to Greece, center, and China during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

FILE - Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte and Manpreet Singh, of India, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. The Olympics have said goodbye to Asia after a star-crossed run, and it's unclear when they'll be back after the continent hosted four of the last eight Games. The earliest the Summer Games could return is 2036, and the favorite could be the world's most populous country - not China, as you might expect, but India. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Fireworks light up the sky over Olympic Stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)