No foreign spectators will be allowed to buy tickets to the Beijing Winter Olympics next year as part of protocols announced by the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday.
The IOC says tickets will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland who meet the requirements of the event’s COVID-19 countermeasures.
The specific requirements for these Chinese spectators are under development and will be released to the public once they are finalized, according to the IOC.
Organizers also laid out their vaccination rules for the event, which starts Feb. 4 and runs through Feb. 20, 2022.
The IOC says all athletes and participants in the games who are fully vaccinated will enter a closed-loop management system upon arrival. As for participants who are not fully vaccinated, they’ll have to remain in quarantine for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing.
Athletes who can provide a justified medical exemption for vaccination will have their cases considered, according to the IOC.
All vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization or related international organizations, or approved officially by the countries or regions concerned, will be accepted.
As mentioned above, the games will feature a closed-loop management system, which will be in place from Jan. 23 to the end of the Winter Paralympics on March 13.
The IOC says the closed-loop management system will cover all games-related areas, including arrival and departure, transport, accommodation, catering, competitions, and the opening and closing ceremonies.
Within the closed loop, participants will be allowed to move only between games-related venues for training, competitions and work. A dedicated games transport system will also be put in place.
Additionally, the IOC says all domestic and international games participants and workforce in the closed-loop management system will be subject to daily testing.
