BEIJING, China (CelebrityAccess) — China updated the COVID-19 policy for the Beijing 2022 Games, announcing that no tickets will be sold to fans this year.
“Given the current grave and complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators, it was decided that tickets should not be sold anymore but be part of an adapted programme that will invite groups of spectators to be present on site during the Games. The organisers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event as pre-conditions for the safe and sound delivery of the Games,” a statement from China’s Olympic Committee said on Sunday.
The updated policy is a shift from September, when China said that tickets would be limited to spectators from mainland China, barring foreign visitors from attending the games.
The stands won’t be completely empty however, and China is allowing a limited selected of invited spectators to be present during Olympic events, provided they adhere to strict COVID-19 countermeasures during and after each event.
China’s updated COVID-19 policy marks the second Olympics events where spectators have been restricted from the stands. The 2020 Tokyo Games, which were delayed to 2021, took place largely without spectators in major sports arenas.
The Olympics are scheduled to begin Feb. 4 with events scheduled through February 20th and will be followed by the Paralympics, which begin on March 4th.
