Concern about Omicron is growing in China. Two and a half weeks before the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, the organizers stopped free ticket sales on Monday. Only hand-picked spectators from the host country will be there. “In view of the serious and complicated situation that the corona pandemic is in and to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators, it has been decided to stop selling tickets,” the organizing committee announced. Instead, they will “invite viewer groups” and “embed them in a customized program.” What exactly will that look like? Open minded. It can be assumed that only an elite circle is allowed to be present at the competitions.
The organizers expect “these spectators to strictly adhere to the Covid-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event, which are a prerequisite for the safe and smooth running of the games,” the statement said.
It was already decided last September that the games from February 4th to 20th will take place without spectators from abroad. It is now clear that many things will remind of the past ghost summer games in Tokyo. The (lack of) mood should not play a major role for the active players at the moment. Getting to China in good health is the goal – not just for biathlete Franziska Preuss. Shortly before the turn of the year, the best ski hunter in Germany was infected with the virus, and the 27-year-old is still struggling with the health consequences.
In any case, an infection shortly before the peak of the season would be fatal. “Now you can no longer afford quarantine,” said Erik Lesser. And Benedikt Doll is constantly thinking about a possible infection, it “always occupies you” and is “quite tiring,” he said. The CT value of 40 that applies in China compared to Germany, which makes a positive test result more likely, also causes concern.
Thomas Weikert, on the other hand, exudes more confidence. The new President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) emphasized that “the vast majority” of the athletes are looking forward to the Games. Weikert also ruled out possible manipulations in corona tests, which DSV Alpine boss Wolfgang Maier recently put up for discussion. “I trust the Chinese hosts,” he said in a radio interview with Bayern 2. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has assured that an international body will review all corona tests.
The fact that tests on people with identical surnames are mixed up, as luger Natalie Geisenberger revealed to the sports information service when she was wearing the Olympics, should no longer happen. Geisenberger was present at the luge World Cup opener in Yanqing in November, and IOC President Thomas Bach was surprised by her experience in a joint conversation. “Everything will be completely different,” he said. Geisenberger was assured that the processes for the corona smears would be optimized. “We come to the tests with our accreditations, which are then sealed in a similar way to doping controls,” explained the 33-year-old. In addition, there should be “many more people” who speak English: “That’s why I hope it gets a little better.”
The corona situation in China is anything but encouraging. Despite the zero-Covid strategy, the number of new corona infections on Monday reached 223 new cases, the highest level since March 2020. The first omicron case was also registered in Beijing over the weekend. And although China is sticking to its strict entry controls, 60 new “imported” cases have been reported. Arriving in the capital ahead of the Games, some athletes and representatives immediately made their way into a tightly controlled bubble that completely cuts them off from the rest of the population. It should be safe there. But the way there is difficult.
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