Two weeks ago we received half-good news.
The organizers of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in February announced that the stands there would not have to remain empty.
The nice greeting to the unloved Japanese, who did not succeed in doing something similar at their summer games in Tokyo, remained unspoken.
Well, it was said that only Chinese would be allowed to watch.
The fear of corona introduction remains great.
But at least the games would be spared the dreary scenery, and there would be applause every now and then.
And now?
As you can hear, there is no talk of ticket sales in China just four months before the opening ceremony.
And in the test competitions that are currently running - most recently speed skating and it's the figure skaters' turn - the ranks have remained empty so far.
“If the conditions allow,” the organizers say, spectators may still be allowed to attend the test events.
These are bad signs.
It is to be feared that Beijing will ultimately follow the same rules as Tokyo.
Only in the version for dictatorships.