Beijing Winter Olympics tickets scrapped in favor of selected guests
Beijing, Jan 17 (EFE).- The organizing committee of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics on Monday announced that tickets would not go on general sale to the public but that groups spectators would be invited to the event as part of a measure to keep a cap on Covid-19 infection rates.
The committee gave no further detail on how the designated guests format would work, but said they would abide by Covid-19 countermeasures “during and after” each event, which is being organized within a Covid-19 bubble.
Citing the new measures, the International Olympic Committee said: “Given the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators, it has been decided that tickets should not be sold anymore but be part of an adapted programme that will invite groups of spectators to be present on site during the Games.”
Beijing Winter Olympic organizers back in September confirmed that tickets would not be sold to foreign visitors due to China’s strict pandemic-era border restrictions, which requires anyone entering the country to quarantine for 14 days.
The capital Beijing registered its first-known case of the contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus over the weekend.
Beijing authorities have introduced tough controls to ward off the threat of future outbreaks in the capital.
Anyone wishing to enter the city must produce proof of a negative PCR test. Those coming from cities currently dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak might find their transport route to the capital suspended.
China has registered a total of 105,087 cases in the country since the pandemic began, according to official figures.
The Winter Olympics, due to begin on February 4, are to take place within a Covid-19 bubble, which means athletes, journalists and workers will remain isolated from wider society. EFE
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