SCIO briefing on overall progress in preparations for Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 1, 2021
Asahi Shinbum:
The playbook for COVID-19 countermeasures for Beijing 2022 issued the day before yesterday stipulates that all Olympic participants arriving in China will be under closed-loop management. The Tokyo Olympics adopted the same practice but ended up having many violators. What measures will be adopted at the Beijing Winter Olympics to ensure compliance with the regulations in the fight against COVID-19? Thank you.
Zhang Jiandong:
Thank you for your question. We issued the playbook for COVID-19 countermeasures for Beijing 2022 the day before yesterday, drawing great attention from all sectors of society. Given that the global epidemic situation is still severe and complicated, in order to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of Olympic participating parties, stakeholders, and the Chinese people, we worked with the IOC and the IPC, drawing on China's successful experience in the fight against COVID-19, and that of major international competitions held in the past and at present, and decided to conduct strict closed-loop management for the people involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics. The closed-loop management policy is one of the most distinctive measures for the fight against COVID-19 at the Winter Olympics. It is the premise for the Games to be held free of COVID-19.
One of the important characteristics of closed-loop management is that people within the loop, including the stakeholders involved in the Winter Olympics, the Chinese staff and volunteers, are subject to similar closed-loop management policy. They should be in strict separation from the communities. Under the closed-loop management, there won't be tight restrictions on the free movement of athletes and other participants, because they will be provided with dedicated vehicles for them to move freely from their places of residence to the venues, from venues to venues, and between three competition divisions. Moreover, the Olympic villages and other stakeholders within the loop, such as the contracted hotels for the media, will also be provided with a good experience through access to specialty restaurants, licensed retailers, cafes, and gyms, as well as some recreational facilities.
We have adopted such measures in the recent test events, which are basically the same as those in the playbook for COVID-19 countermeasures for Beijing 2022. In the big loop, athletes will be able to have relatively free movement, but they must abide by our related regulations and take dedicated transport vehicles. They will be not allowed to go out of the loop and make contact with communities.
I'd like to stress that the measures in the playbook are made in accordance with the latest scientific achievements and opinions of experts and in reference to the experience of other international events. We believe that these measures can mitigate the risks and impact of the pandemic. We hope all the people involved in the Winter Olympics and Paralympics can cooperate with us to abide by and implement these regulations. As for punitive measures, we will strictly implement related regulations on punishment. We are discussing the details with the IOC to hold those who violate regulations in the manual accountable with possible severe punishments, including warnings, temporary or permanent cancelation of registrations, temporary or permanent disqualification from competitions, ejection from competitions, and disqualification. Thank you.
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