China cancels Winter Olympics ticket sales as Covid-19 outbreak returns

The Organizing Committee of the 2022 Winter Olympics announced on Monday the cancellation of ticket sales to the public due to the "complex" epidemiological situation in China, in a sudden decision that comes three weeks before the start of the competitions.

It was intended to sell tickets only to residents of China and enable them to attend the games between February 4 and 20, 2022.

But the organizing committee canceled the sale of tickets "given that the epidemiological situation is still difficult and complex" in the country, where many cities have witnessed an outbreak of Covid in recent weeks.

"In order to protect the health and safety of staff and spectators... it was decided to amend the initial plan (and instead) to regulate the entry of spectators into the (games) venues," the committee said in a statement.

The organizing committee did not specify how the public would be selected or whether they would have to undergo a quarantine before going to the playgrounds and ski slopes.

According to sources, invitations can be directed, especially to public sector employees and employees of public companies.

The number of new infections with Covid in China reached its highest level since March 2020, Monday, and the authorities are on alert, especially with the approach of the Games.

A very limited number of new infections were reported, amounting to 223 cases, some of them with the highly contagious Omicron mutant.

Several regions in the country are facing a resurgence of the epidemic in recent weeks.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news