A photo taken on Jan. 10, 2022 shows epidemic prevention equipment at the Main Media Center for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Xu Zijian)
No. 3: COVID-19 testing during Beijing 2022 opens the door to manipulation
The claim: An international news agency reported that Wolfgang Maier, head of Alpine events at the German Ski Federation, said that a lack of clarity over COVID-19 testing at the Beijing Winter Olympics "opens the door to manipulation", as "you can take anyone out of circulation who gets in your way."
Fact check: Daily testing for COVID-19 and the "closed-loop management system" are the countermeasures outlined in the second edition of the Beijing 2022 Playbook approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Once within the loop, people will undergo daily testing for COVID-19 and will be unable to access the outside world for the duration of the Games.
COVID-19 countermeasures are key to the safety and success of the Games, said the IOC's Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi.
"By creating a secure environment, this will provide a unique Games-time experience, and help athletes fully focus on the fundamentals of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - sporting competition," said Dubi.
More than 1,200 people from overseas have entered the closed loop since it has come into operation on January 4.
IOC Olympic Games Operations Director Pierre Ducrey, who has arrived in Beijing and entered the closed loop, said the first impression of the system was "extremely positive".
"The loop is very safe and is a place that is very difficult to compare to anywhere in the world because we have a fully vaccinated and often boosted population which is being tested daily with a PCR," said Ducrey.
"We are in a place that is safe and the behavior of the people is very well understood and applied."
Ducrey added that pre-departure and arrival COVID-19 tests will help to block cases from entering the closed loop, and participants need to conduct daily testing and wear masks of a required standard inside the loop.
