Olympic torch arrives in Beijing, host of next Winter Games
Beijing, Oct 20 (EFE).- The Olympic torch arrived Wednesday in Beijing, venue for the next Winter Olympics, from the Greek town of Olympia, where the flame was lit earlier this week.
From now, the torch will travel to various parts of the country to encourage the population to practice winter sports, according to organizers.
The torch relay, involving 1,200 bearers, will take place between Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 at the three Olympic venues, Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.
This will be on a smaller scale than usual to “ensure the health and safety of the attendees,” in line with China’s anti-epidemic measures.
The occasion was used to present the designs of the torch and the bearers’ uniforms, inspired by traditional Chinese culture.
Beijing will be the first city in history to host a Summer and Winter Games, and it will do so under strict prevention measures announced last month by the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee.
The organization will require a 21-day prior quarantine after arriving in Beijing for those athletes who are not vaccinated and tickets will not be sold to spectators arriving from abroad in order to attend the sporting event.
During their stay in the Chinese capital, athletes will have to stay in a bubble, a closed circuit that will cover their activities in the Chinese capital.
The bubble system will start Jan. 23, 2022 and end at the end of the Winter Paralympics.
Everyone in the bubble will undergo daily nucleic acid testing.
Beijing 2022 will be the third consecutive Olympic event in Asia, after the 2019 Pyeongchang winter games in South Korea and the recent summer games in Tokyo. It will also be the first winter event hosted by China.
The Games will take place in Beijing and Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, 80 kilometers and 180 kilometers respectively, from the center of the Chinese capital. EFE
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