OlymPicks: Spectators to Be Allowed at Winter Games; But Who and How Remains to be Seen

The International Olympic Committee released an announcement yesterday on who can attend and participate in the Beijing 2022 Games. Vaccinated athletes are in, and unvaccinated athletes have to quarantine for 21 days. But can those of us who aren’t athletes come as spectators? The answer: maybe.

The announcement says people “residing in Beijing” who meet anti-COVID requirements can attend, but whether or not this means all residents or just Chinese citizens hasn’t quite been clarified.

What this doesn’t mean, though, is that all foreigners are banned from attending – just those coming from outside China. So don’t have a heart attack over the clickbait news and WeChat posts that have been floating around since the announcement.

The announcement goes on to say all those attending must enter a “closed loop management”, which essentially means everything will be operating in a bubble in which movement and daily life are restricted.

Along with questions on who can attend the Games, this has also left many Beijingers wondering how traffic and things like work and school will be affected, especially in light of the fact this “closed loop” might continue during the Paralympics, which would end in March.

We’ll have to wait and see on how exactly the closed loop will work, but rest assured, it looks like foreigners in China aren’t going to be banned from watching the Olympics, so don’t fret over that.

For the latest on Beijing 2022, be sure to follow our Olympics WeChat groups. Just add TBJButler on WeChat and ask to be added in.

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Images: CGTN, The Beijingers