After all the athletes enter the stadium , the final medals ceremony of the Games is held . The organizing committee of the respective host city , after consulting with the IOC , determines which event will have its medals presented . During the Summer Olympics , this is usually the men 's marathon . Traditionally , the men 's marathon is held in the last hours of competition on the last day of the Olympics , and the race is won just before the start of the closing ceremony . However , recent Summer Olympiads in Atlanta , Athens , Beijing , London , and Rio staged the marathon in the early morning due to heat problems in the host city . Since the 2006 Winter Olympics , the medals for the men 's 50 km cross-country skiing event were presented at the closing ceremony . The medallist 's national flags are then hoisted and the national anthem of the gold medallist 's country is played
2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics closing ceremony
Olympic Games ceremony