Olympics-Figure skating-Skaters bid farewell to Beijing Games with sparkle-filled show

2022 Beijing Olympics - Figure Skating - Exhibition Gala - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 20, 2022. Piper Gilles of Canada and Paul Poirier of Canada, Keegan Messing of Canada and Shoma Uno of Japan with Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics during the exhibition gala. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel

BEIJING (Reuters) - The world's best figure skaters put aside competition nerves and concerns about scores on Sunday as they let loose on the final day of the Beijing Olympics at a gala that bade farewell to a competition marked by greatness and controversy.

The medallists in each discipline and a handful of other top skaters took part but a notable absentee was 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, a gold medal favourite in the women's singles who tumbled to fourth place after being embroiled in a doping scandal.