Winter Olympics: IOC says Tokyo 2020 Delta experience will help keep Omicron out as China battles surge in new cases
- IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi says organisers’ pre-Games regime is ‘incredibly robust’ and they do not fear an Omicron outbreak
- Tianjin, 135 kilometres southeast of Beijing, is trying to cope with China’s largest domestic Omicron cluster to date
Top Olympic official Christophe Dubi said their experience dealing with the coronavirus Delta variant will help to ensure a safe Beijing 2022 as China battles a surge in Omicron cases with the opening ceremony less than three weeks away.
The outbreaks in several mainland cities are testing the country’s strict “zero-Covid” strategy, with Games organisers insisting the “closed loop” will keep the coronavirus out. China on Monday also cancelled plans to sell tickets to the public, allowing only invitees to view the action as part of strict virus control measures.
In an interview with the ‘Post’, International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive director Dubi said the Winter Games closed loop “cannot be breached”.
Tianjin, 135 kilometres southeast of Beijing, is trying to cope with China’s largest domestic Omicron cluster to date, with almost 300 local cases reported since the highly transmissible variant was first discovered more than a week ago.
“If you would ask me whether I trust the work that they have done here, absolutely, and I’m totally certain the environment that we create is a really safe one for our participants. Probably the safest you could imagine at that point in time,” Dubi told the ‘Post’.
