Story at a glance
- The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday the Beijing Winter Olympics will move forward as planned.
- The Swiss Olympic committee said in a statement the IOC delivered the news in a video conference with teams.
- The Beijing Winter Olympics is scheduled to begin Feb. 4.
The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday the Beijing Winter Olympics will move forward as planned amid growing COVID-19 concerns.
The Swiss Olympic committee said in a statement the IOC delivered the news in a video conference with teams, where the Olympic governing body said they did not foresee a postponement.
Swiss team leader Ralph Stöckli had previously raised concerns about the rising number of cases among athletes in an interview with French-language Swiss broadcaster RTS a day before.
“We must really discuss the possibility of a postponement of the Games,” he told RTS, according to The Associated Press. “If we don’t have the best athletes there, that’s going to be very, very difficult.”
But on Wednesday, Stöckli said in a statement that “the issue of postponement is no longer relevant.”
The Swiss delegation also addressed the strict waiting times after recovering from a COVID-19 infection before a participant was allowed in China, saying an “international group of experts will assess each case in a specific way.”
“It’s a positive signal. Without this flexibility, given the high number of contaminations, we would have had to assume that many athletes, no longer presenting any risk of infection, would have been deprived of their dream of participating in the Olympic Games,” Stöckli said.
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Organizers have created specific requirements for attendees, effectively placing them in a bubble. Within the health and safety guidelines, all athletes must be tested for COVID-19 daily despite vaccination status. Further, a 21-day quarantine period will be required for all unvaccinated individuals associated with the games.
Meanwhile, spectators have reportedly been advised to clap instead of shouting when cheering at events.
Much like the delayed summer games in Tokyo, international spectators will not attend Olympic events, although tickets are on sale domestically in China.
The Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin Feb. 4.
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