It will be two months in four days until the opening of the Beijing Olympics in February next year.


As the selection of representatives progresses, the players will start making adjustments with an eye on the actual tournament, but due to the strengthening of border measures against the new mutant virus of the new coronavirus, the future schedule cannot be predicted.

来年2月4日に開幕する北京オリンピックは、夏と同じ開催地で開かれる初めてのオリンピックとして17日間の日程で開かれます。



開幕まで4日で2か月となり、各競技の選手たちはオリンピック代表の選考に関わる大会に出場しながら、オリンピック本番に向けた調整を続けています。



しかし、世界的な新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大の影響で、先月にはスピードスケートのワールドカップに出場するためヨーロッパで合宿をしていた日本選手4人が新型コロナに感染したほか、スキージャンプ男子のエース、小林陵侑選手がワールドカップ第3戦で優勝したあとに検査で陽性となり2大会に出場できませんでした。



さらに、南アフリカで確認された新たな変異ウイルス「オミクロン株」の影響で、今月2日には日本の水際対策が強化されたことを受けて、大阪府門真市で予定されていたフィギュアスケートのグランプリファイナルが中止となりました。



オリンピック前の海外勢の仕上がりを確認する貴重な機会で、日本の代表選考にも関わる大会が開催直前に中止となり関係者の間では戸惑いが広がりました。



また、海外を転戦する選手たちや練習拠点を海外に置く選手たちは、年末にかけて国内で行われる大会に出場するため帰国する予定でしたが、水際対策の強化によって14日間の自主隔離期間中に練習などが可能となる特例措置を受けられるかどうかは不透明なままです。



新型コロナに対する競技団体や選手の対応について、JOC=日本オリンピック委員会の山下会長は先月の定例の記者会見で「報道以上の情報を持ち合わせていない」などと回答しました。



In the future, the JOC will utilize the knowledge gained at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer to dispel the anxieties that have arisen for athletes at the timing of two months before the opening of the Beijing Olympics, and will collaborate with athletes. It is necessary to actively work with related organizations such as the Japan Sports Agency so that strengthening and selection of representatives will not be affected.

Tournament Organizing Committee To strengthen infection control

The Beijing Olympics will be the first winter Olympics to be held in China and will be held in the capital Beijing and the neighboring Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, from February 4th to 17th next year.



The organizing committee of the tournament has held a test tournament at the same venue as the actual event since October in order to verify the management issues, but at Zhangjiakou, the final ski jumping and Nordic combined tournament has started from the 3rd. rice field.



In a series of test tournaments, in order to prevent the spread of the new corona, so-called "bubble method" infection control measures are taken to block athletes and competition staff from the outside, and the Organizing Committee says "Safety of tournament officials and citizens. We can guarantee that it is highly evaluated both at home and abroad. "



However, last month, three athletes who visited China to participate in the Luge test tournament in Beijing tested positive, and the infection of the Omicron strain has spread worldwide, so the organization The committee is poised to further strengthen its measures for the production, which is approaching two months later, in order to prevent the virus from entering from overseas.

Strict infection control in Beijing

China is continuing its "Zero Corona Policy" to thoroughly contain the infection of the new coronavirus, and in Beijing, where the Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in February next year, particularly strict infection control measures are being taken.



In the middle of last month, Beijing city officials required all people from all over China to enter the city to present a negative test for PCR tests received within 48 hours.



Measures are also ongoing to severely restrict entry into Beijing from areas where community-acquired infections have been confirmed within the last two weeks.



Under these circumstances, the area around the national stadium, commonly known as "Bird's Nest," where the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be held, will be closed for about four months until March 20, next year after the Paralympic Games, and officials concerned. No other entry was allowed.



Furthermore, at Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, it is necessary to make a reservation in advance using a smartphone app etc. when entering from the 15th of this month.



Local officials say this is to prevent the concentration of many tourists and the increased risk of infection.



In China, the spread of local infections has not converged, with more than 200 confirmed cases in the Nei Mongol Autonomous Region since the beginning of this week, and authorities are nervous.

Be wary of Chinese government "Omicron stock"

The Chinese government has said that no new mutant virus, Omicron strain, has been confirmed in the country except Hong Kong, but it is becoming more cautious about the spread of the infection ahead of the Beijing Olympics in February next year. increase.



China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned at a press conference last month that Omicron strains "will definitely be a challenge to infection control."



China is continuing its "Zero Corona Policy" to thoroughly contain infections, and health officials say that the measures taken so far are also effective for Omicron strains, and will continue to focus on strict border measures.



The state media also said that the new coronavirus vaccine developed in China is also effective against Omicron strains, according to health officials.



However, it can be seen that domestic pharmaceutical companies are also developing new vaccines for the Omicron strain, and are nervous to prevent the spread of infection in the future.

Chinese government nervous about "diplomatic boycott"

Regarding the Beijing Olympics, in addition to the United States and other countries considering a "diplomatic boycott," issues surrounding Chinese female professional tennis players could affect the holding of the tournament, and China. The government is nervous.



Regarding the "diplomatic boycott", it is clear that President Biden of the United States is considering a "diplomatic boycott" that does not dispatch government officials last month because of human rights issues in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In addition, it is reported that the British government is also considering it.



In addition to this, last month, China's female professional tennis player Peng Shuai was lost after confessing that he had been forced into a sexual relationship by former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, who was a member of the Communist Party's highest leadership. I was told that it was gone.



Amid a series of voices from the world's top players concerned about the safety of Peng, the oldest executives of the IOC = International Olympic Committee also acknowledged that it could affect the Olympics, and decided to hold the Games. It is a situation that can have an impact.



The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is nervous about these moves, saying, "I'm consistently opposed to making sports a political issue."



China's Foreign Ministry says Foreign Minister Wang Yi has gained support for the tournament in talks with foreign ministers from Switzerland, Iran, and African countries, and Russian President Putin is planning to attend the opening ceremony. We are restraining the movement of "diplomatic boycotts" from spreading, such as clarifying that we are making specific adjustments.