A photo taken on Jan. 10, 2022 shows the Media Dining Hall of the Main Media Center for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/He Changshan)
No. 4: Athletes are complaining about COVID-19 countermeasures and could "boycott" Beijing 2022
The claim: In a recent interview with IOC president Thomas Bach, a German media outlet questioned China's anti-virus policy, saying it has triggered complaints from athletes, coaches and supervisors who have participated in competitions in China over the past few weeks, as they described the policy as "unworthy, unreasonable and inhumane."
Fact check: Beijing 2022 has implemented a "closed-loop management system" in a bid to combat the threat of COVID-19 and to ensure that athletes from around the world can compete in a safe environment.
"We know that the athletes are preparing for the Games with full concentration. We are not aware of any active athletes who call for a sporting boycott of the Games," Bach said.
"We can see that from the reaction of many athletes who are preparing for these Games, they are excited about the Games and also used to anti-virus measures from the qualifying and World Cup competitions. This is not pleasant, but athletes also recognize that such conditions are required amid the pandemic."
Many athletes and NOC officials who are heading to Beijing 2022 have voiced their support of BOCOG's vigorous COVID-19 countermeasures.
"For sure it's going to be a little bit inconvenient, but I think it's necessary to keep the Games safe. And I think as an athlete, I feel safe with all the precautions and I think it's going to work out. With all the measures, it should be a pretty safe event," said Swiss snowboarder Jonas Boesiger.
"The simple fact that we are having the Winter Olympics is a big success. COVID-19 is a big problem on the planet in general. We, the sporting family, are suffering a lot, so our approach is not to complain or to criticize the measures the organizers are taking, but to thank [them for] the opportunity," said Krisztian Kulcsar, president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee.
Michael Ryan, emergencies director for the World Health Organization, said the organization was "confident" in the COVID-19 prevention measures implemented by Beijing 2022 and did not foresee any increased risk of disease transmission.
