This photo taken on January 15, 2022 shows visitors taking photos of an ice sculpture for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Beijing. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT
China on Monday cancelled plans to sell tickets to the public for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, allowing only invitees to view the action as part of strict virus control measures.
Games organisers last year said there would be no international spectators — partly due to the country’s weeks-long quarantine requirements — but they had promised to allow domestic audiences.
But these plans were dropped on Monday as China reported 223 new Covid-19 cases — the highest number since March 2020 and just three weeks before hosting the Winter Olympics.
“In order to protect the health and safety of Olympic-related personnel and spectators, it was decided to adjust the original plan to sell tickets to the public and (instead) organise spectators to watch the games on-site,” the Beijing Olympic organising committee said in a statement.
It is unclear how these spectators will be selected and whether they will have to quarantine before or after the Games.
READ ALSO: Nadal, Osaka Through After Djokovic Saga At Australian Open
China, where the coronavirus first emerged in late 2019, has stuck to a strict policy of targeting zero Covid cases even as the rest of the world has reopened.
Athletes and officials have already started to land in Beijing ahead of the Games, immediately entering a tightly controlled bubble separating them from the rest of the population.
The 2022 Winter Olympics are set to kick off on February 4 and run until February 20 at venues in and around Beijing, making the Chinese capital the first city in modern history to host both a summer and winter Olympics.
"What our western allies are learning the hard way is what looks good on paper and the human consequences are…
The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to appear before it…
The United States said Tuesday it stood firmly behind Lithuania and NATO commitments to defend it after Russia warned its neighbor…
Moscow on Tuesday warned Lithuania of "serious" consequences over its restriction of rail traffic to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, as Kremlin forces…
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the European Union has charged Nigerians to get their Permanent Voter Cards, register and…
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku will rejoin Inter Milan on a one-year loan deal after a disappointing spell with the Premier League…