On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee announced that only people who live in China will be allowed to attend the 2022 Winter Games which will be held in Beijing.
“Tickets will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 countermeasures,” the IOC said. “Specific requirements on COVID-19 countermeasures for spectators from China’s mainland and the details of ticketing arrangements are under discussion and development, and will be released to the public in due course once they are finalized.”
“The IOC and IPC welcome the decision to allow for the sale of tickets to spectators residing in China’s mainland,” the committee added. “This will facilitate the growth of winter sports in China by giving those spectators a first-hand Olympic and Paralympic experience of elite winter sports, as well as bringing a favorable atmosphere to the venues. However, all parties feel for the athletes and the spectators from around the world, knowing that the restriction on spectators from outside mainland China had to be put in place in order to ensure the safe holding of the Games this winter.”
The announcement comes amid widespread calls for the U.S. and other countries to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics over communist China’s genocide of Uyghur of Uyghur Muslims and Christians, and the COVID-19 pandemic as it appears the virus was engineered in China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said this year of Democrat President Biden’s position on the 2022 Winter Olympics. “We have not discussed, and are not discussing any joint boycott with allies and partners.”