Mascot-loving Japan has two new characters to get excited about after two futuristic designs with pointy ears and chequered patterns were unveiled on Wednesday to promote the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu, the first man in 66 years to win back-to-back Olympic figure skating gold medals, said on Tuesday he would like to successfully land a quintuple jump and break the five-spin barrier.

When the Olympic flame goes out on Sunday life will go on for the nearly 3,000 athletes who thrilled, inspired or disappointed at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

The Olympic women's ice hockey tournament will be remembered for two goals -- one by Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson that gave the United States the gold medal and one from Randi Heesoo Griffin for a unified Korean team that found its way into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

South Korea brought the curtain down on its "Peace Games" on Sunday, with winter sports athletes dancing and singing together at a vibrant closing ceremony, though there was little warmth between dignitaries from the United States and North Korea.

The Olympic movement's new Chinese global sponsor, e-commerce group Alibaba, came to the Pyeongchang Winter Games promising to revolutionize the experience for spectators, from buying tickets to souvenirs.

A Russian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday Russia could be reinstated to the IOC on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, the RIA news agency reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday the number of medals won by Russian athletes at the Winter Olympics showed Russia had been successful at the Games.

Chaos reigned as it so often does on the short track oval at the Pyeongchang Games, with roughly a quarter of the field in the eight events drawing penalties that caused disqualifications.

Russian athletes walked away from the Pyeongchang Games with a medal count equivalent to that of Vancouver 2010 but fell short of their main goal: leave the Olympics with their flag.