Beijing Games torch relay confined to closed venues due to COVID

The Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay will be cordoned off from the public because of concern about the spread of the coronavirus.

Published : Jan 21, 2022 11:20 IST , BEIJING

Women wearing face masks printed with a slogan for Beijing Winter Olympics Games take a selfie with a decoration for the Winter Olympics Games on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, on Thursday. Beijing is on high-alert for the coronavirus after a handful of small outbreaks in various parts of the country.
Women wearing face masks printed with a slogan for Beijing Winter Olympics Games take a selfie with a decoration for the Winter Olympics Games on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, on Thursday. Beijing is on high-alert for the coronavirus after a handful of small outbreaks in various parts of the country.
lightbox-info

Women wearing face masks printed with a slogan for Beijing Winter Olympics Games take a selfie with a decoration for the Winter Olympics Games on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, on Thursday. Beijing is on high-alert for the coronavirus after a handful of small outbreaks in various parts of the country.

The Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay will be cordoned off from the public because of concern about the spread of the coronavirus, organisers said on Friday.

The relay involving 1,200 torchbearers will begin on February 2 and wind up just two days later, on February 4, when the Games open in the capital, Beijing, and neighbouring Hebei province.

“This torch relay will always prioritise safety,” Yang Haibin, an official from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports told a briefing.

“Taking into account factors such as epidemic prevention ... the torch relay and ceremonial activities will be arranged in safe and controllable closed venues.”

Beijing, the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, is on high-alert for the coronavirus after a handful of small outbreaks in various parts of the country that authorities have responded to with sweeping restrictions and mass testing. All of the torchbearers must be vaccinated and will be tested for the virus and have their health monitored for 14 days before the relay.

ALSO READ - No forced labour involved in Beijing Games outfits - IOC

The relay route, which will be much shorter than previous ones, will include a stop at the Great Wall, China’s most famous landmark, as well as central Beijing’s Olympic parks, the Summer Palace and other venues including International Grape Exhibition Garden and Zhangjiakou Industrial Culture Park.

Only selected members of the public will be allowed to watch the relay in person.

Ahead of last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, the torch travelled more than 2,000 km (1,250 miles) in 121 days but was moved off public roads due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The relay ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics covered 2,018 km.

The flame for Beijing’s Winters Games was lit in Greece in an October ceremony that was disrupted by human rights activists. Beijing and the Hebei city of Zhanjiakou will stage the Games from February 4 to February 20 inside a “closed loop” to keep participants apart from the public, and without spectators from the general public.

Preparations for the Games have been disrupted by COVID-19 as well as a diplomatic boycott by countries including the United States over China’s human rights record. China says that betrays Olympic principles and denies rights abuses.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment