Olympics in Beijing: Corona cases among those involved in the bubble are increasing

Beijing 2022 Winter Games
Despite strict conditions: more and more corona cases among those involved in the Olympics

The German Olympians posed for the first selfies on the runway surrounded by helpers in protective suits. The 146-strong delegation that arrived in Beijing on Sunday got its first impression of the Olympic parallel world in Corona times immediately after landing. Behind the mask and visor, the smile of the Chinese reception committee was difficult to see before the strictly organized bus trip to the athletes’ villages began after the mandatory PCR tests. Welcome to the strictly closed Olympic bubble.

“We are expecting special challenges that have not been seen before at the Winter Games,” said Head of Mission Dirk Schimmelpfennig of the German Press Agency. When other large travel groups from the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) board the plane to China on Tuesday, there is also the fear of a positive test on arrival. The Omicron variant drives the number of infections at home to record highs. It is therefore “a demanding task” to get free of the virus in Beijing’s “closed circuit”, said Schimmelpfennig.

Olympics 2022 in Beijing: There have been so many corona cases so far

At least on Sunday this was successful: All entry tests were negative, said a DOSB spokeswoman. The organizers had previously reported 34 new corona cases among Olympic participants from all over the world. A further 37 cases became known on Monday – nine infected people were already in the sealed off Olympic bubble, the other cases were discovered upon entry. A total of 176 infections have been detected during the close checks at the airport and in the corona bubble since January 23.

The numbers are within expectations, said Medical Expert Council chief Brian McCloskey. In view of the wave of arrivals just before the opening of the games on Friday, the numbers would rise even further. “But we’re confident that the system we’ve put in place is the right one,” McCloskey said.

A few days ago, a supervisor from the German advance command was among the corona cases. Anyone who has contracted the virus will be isolated in a specially designated hotel. Only after two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart can those affected leave before the end of ten days. After this period, only a negative PCR test is required. For some participants, however, the Olympic dream could burst with a positive test.

Corona at the Olympics: Skeleton pilot Hannah Neise tested free after infection

Skeleton pilot Hannah Neise went almost straight from quarantine to Beijing. The previously infected woman from Winterberg was allowed to board the plane on Saturday evening after the four negative PCR tests required by the organizers. Teammate Axel Jungk, on the other hand, has to wait for more negative tests and hope that he can travel on Friday. Both had probably been infected at the World Cup finals in St. Moritz.

Despite all the concerns about China’s tough zero-Covid strategy, the vast majority of German athletes decided to start, emphasized DOSB boss Thomas Weikert in the ZDF “Sportstudio”. After all, they had been preparing for the competitions on snow and ice for years. But Weikert also admitted: “It’s a fact, the Olympic flair isn’t there like it was.” Foreign fans are excluded, only selected Chinese spectators are allowed to attend. “This takes away some of the joy from the athletes when they win,” said Weikert.

Accommodations fenced off with privacy screens and the severely restricted freedom of movement also put a damper on the mood. After all, the athletes probably expect pretty perfect competition conditions. Even if the mountains away from the cross-country ski runs and pistes in Zhangjiakou and Yanqing are brown-grey instead of wintry snowy, the Olympians were impressed with their training impressions. “Impressive” and “great”, ski racer Josef Ferstl wrote on Instagram about pictures of some downhill turns.

The Olympic organizers should like that. The organizers hope that the sporting headlines will soon push the sensitive Corona issue aside. “These games are a great opportunity for global winter sports and the athletes,” asserted IOC boss Thomas Bach. If only the athletes could win over 300 million Chinese interested in winter sports as new fans. But the Olympians cannot hit any of them at these Winter Games.

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DPA