Vaccination, strict tracking of covid cases and minimizing physical interaction are some of the conditions outlined in the guide.
Vaccination, strict tracking of covid cases and minimization of physical interaction -forbidden to shake hands or hug each other- will be the conditions under which athletes will compete in the Beijing Winter Games, which will open on February 4, 2022.
The first version of the participation guides prepared by the organizing committee and the Olympic and Paralympic committees (IOC and IPC), published this Monday, offers similar guidelines to those that were imposed last July at the Tokyo Summer Games, although any quarantine is abolished if the vaccination schedule is complete. In return, the bubble will be practically airtight.
In the vaccination exceptions will be admitted for athletes and staff of their teams, “Studied case by case and based on medical reasons”. For the rest, not being vaccinated 14 days before arrival will force a 21-day quarantine.
Will be launched “Strict protocols” to identify who has covid-19, to locate possible infected and to isolate those affected.
Arriving in Beijing, participants will enter a bubble where they can stay, compete, train, move and eat only in the places indicated by the organizers. They should not come into contact with anyone outside that bubble.
They will have to register their health data in an app from 14 days before traveling and take two nasopharyngeal PCR tests in the 96 hours prior to your flight, which will not be able to make a stopover in another Chinese city other than the capital. Once at destination, they will be subjected to daily controls.
If any of the participants has passed the covid, they must also provide a certificate of recovery.
In case of positive during the Games, asymptomatic patients will be isolated and symptomatic patients will be hospitalized. Among the services available to these athletes (three meals a day, wi-fi, change clothes …) mention “support for their mental health.”
During the Games, Beijing 2022 will cover all participants with medical and repatriation insurance.
Failure to comply with these rules will result in sanctions that can range from a warning or a financial fine, to temporary or permanent disqualification from the Games.
The organizers have published two guides, one for the athletes and their teams and one for the rest of the participants, including leaders, journalists and workforce, who at the Tokyo Games were considered the main source of contagion when entering and leaving the Olympic facilities to provide goods and services.
“After extensive discussions and consultations, the IOC, IPC and Beijing 2022 have jointly developed the first editions of the Beijing 2022 Gaming Guides, which demonstrate the consensus of all parties involved,” said Han Zirong, Vice President and Secretary General Beijing 2022.
“In its preparation, our highest priority has been to safeguard the safety and health of all participants, as well as the Chinese people, based on the experiences of other sports events and the COVID-19 policy currently in force in China,” has added.
An update to these guides will be published before the end of the year. (D)
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