After two-and-a-half weeks of triumph, loss and all kinds of controversy in and out of competition, the Winter Olympics in Beijing come to a close on Sunday. At the Closing Ceremony, the Olympic flame will be extinguished, and the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo will be welcomed as the hosts of the next Winter Games in 2026. There will also likely be recognition of Paris as the host of the 2024 Summer Games — certainly by NBC, which can’t wait to get there after three straight Olympics overall in Asia. The United States’ flag bearer will be Elana Meyers Taylor, who on Saturday wo…