Beijing confirms strict ‘closed loop’ for Winter Olympics

FAN Editor

China says participants in next year’s Winter Olympics will be strictly isolated from the general population and could face expulsion for violating COVID-19 restrictions

Vice mayor and Beijing 2022 organizing committee official Zhang Jiandong told reporters Wednesday that those taking part in the games beginning Feb. 4 must remain in a “closed loop” for training, competing, transport, dining and accommodation.

“All participants of the Games and our Chinese staff and volunteers will implement the same policy,” Zhang said. “They will be strictly separated from the external society.

“Those who do not comply with the epidemic prevention regulations may face severe consequences such as warning, temporary or permanent cancellation of registration, temporary or permanent disqualification or expulsion from the competition, and other punishment.”

China has enforced strict rules on mask wearing, quarantines and contact tracing that have largely succeeded in eliminating the local transmission of COVID-19, but imported cases and domestic infections continue to appear in daily reports.

“Indeed, epidemic prevention and control is the biggest challenge for us to host the Winter Olympic Games,” Zhang told a news conference.

Wednesday marked 100 days until the Beijing Games. Organizers have held test events featuring international athletes at Olympic venues under strict conditions.

Japan imposed restrictive rules and an Olympic bubble during the July 23-Aug. 8 Summer Games in Tokyo, which had been postponed by 12 months because of the pandemic.

———

More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Queen Elizabeth pulls out of climate summit following medical advice

London — Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the upcoming COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland following medical advice to rest, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday. The queen spent a night in the hospital last week to undergo preliminary checks, according to the Palace — her first overnight stay in eight […]