All news
Updated at: 

IOC publishes anti-COVID-19 guidelines ahead of 2022 Winter Games in China

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing are scheduled to be held between February 4 and 20

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2022 Winter Games published on Monday lists of regulations, which are called Playbooks, on anti-COVID-19 preventive and safety measures, the IOC said in a statement.

"The two Playbooks, one for athletes and team officials, and one for all other stakeholders, provide comprehensive COVID-19 guidelines that will help participants prepare for travelling to and arriving in China, fulfilling their roles at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and their departure from Beijing," the statement from the IOC press office reads.

The statement quoted Christophe Dubi, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director as saying that: "The Playbooks provide a game plan to help Olympic and Paralympic Games participants, and consequently the local population, stay safe and healthy during Games-time.

"They have been developed jointly by the IOC, the IPC and Beijing 2022, incorporating the very latest scientific advice and proven countermeasures implemented during the pandemic," Dubi said. "We want everyone at the Games to be safe, that’s why we’re asking all participants to follow these guidelines."

"Keeping everyone healthy will ensure the focus remains on the very fundamentals of the Olympic and Paralympic Games - the athletes and the sport," he added.

The statement also quoted Han Zirong, Vice President and Secretary General of Beijing 2022, as saying that: "Beijing 2022 welcomes athletes and all other stakeholders from around the world to China to participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022."

"In developing the Playbooks, we made it a top priority to safeguard the safety and health of all Games participants including athletes, as well as the Chinese people, draw on the experiences from other international sports events, and the COVID-19 policy currently in effect in China," Han Zirong stated.

According to the IOC statement on Monday, "Vaccines are proven to reduce infection with and transmission of COVID-19 and are a key tool in enabling activities to be carried out safely."

"It will be mandatory to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to departure for China, in order to be allowed in the closed loop system without quarantine. Anyone not fully vaccinated according to the Playbooks will need to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing."

"Exceptions may be granted for athletes and team officials on a case-by-case basis, based on medical reasons," the statement reads.

2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing are scheduled to be held between February 4 and 20.

During the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015, Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games making the Chinese capital the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2008) as well as the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2022).

Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Olympics and Paralympics in a tight race, beating Kazakhstan’s Almaty in 2015, by chalking up 44 votes against its rival’s 40.

COVID-19

In late December 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 244,634,250 people have been infected worldwide and more than 4,967,160 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 221,625,300 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.