USA TODAY International Edition
Will omicron impact the Winter Olympics?
As Beijing 2022 organizers continue to prepare for the Winter Games, they now have a new factor to consider: the omicron variant of COVID- 19.
With a little more than two months to go until the start of the Beijing Olympics, health officials are working to study and understand the variant, discovered in South Africa last week. But several countries have already moved to shut down their borders or restrict international travel due to omicron. And the World Health Organization has already described the overall global risk posed by the variant as “very high.”
What we know about omicron, and the potential impact it might have on preparations for the Games.
What do we know about omicron?
Not much. The variant was first detected by South African scientists last week after they noticed what the country’s health minister, Joe Phaahla, described as an “exponential rise” in COVID- 19 cases. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that at least 23 countries have now reported cases of omicron. The first U. S. case was identified in California on Wednesday afternoon. It’s immediately unclear whether omicron is more transmissible or deadly than past variants, like the delta variant. And public health experts are studying its interactions with vaccines. The WHO did note, however, that “preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with omicron.”
What has China said about omicron?
China had yet to report a case of the omicron variant as of Wednesday.
At a press briefing Tuesday, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, acknowledged that the omicron variant would “certainly bring some challenges in terms of prevention and control” ahead of the Beijing Olympics. But he also indicated that China’s plans for the Games have not changed.
“I’m fully confident that the Winter Olympics will be held as scheduled, smoothly and successfully,” Zhao said.
When asked in an email Tuesday about the impact omicron might have on the Games, the Beijing 2022 media relations office acknowledged receiving the message but did not immediately provide a response.
Could the Games be postponed?
It’s possible but appears highly, highly unlikely. Hosting the Olympics is a huge point of national pride in China – a pivotal opportunity to show off the country, and portray itself as a global leader. This is particularly true as China faces international outcry over its treatment of Uyghur Muslims, its saber- rattling on Taiwan and, most recently, the Peng Shuai situation.
Plus, after watching one of its key regional rivals ( Japan) successfully host the Summer Games amid COVID- 19 just a few months ago, postponement would likely be perceived within the Chinese government as a failure.
On top of the geopolitical considerations, there’s also the potential cost and logistics of a postponement. It would be both expensive and extremely complicated to move the Games to a new date, particularly this late in the process.
Will COVID protocols at the Games change?
China has adopted a “zero COVID” approach that prompted some of the strictest COVID- 19 countermeasures in the world. And its preliminary countermeasures for the Olympics are just as stringent.
The country has said every Olympic participant will be contained in a “closed loop” system, separate from the rest of the country, and get daily COVID- 19 tests. The overwhelming majority of attendees will also likely be vaccinated; if not, they will be forced to quarantine for 21 days.
Beijing 2022 organizers could claim these countermeasures are already plenty strict enough to combat omicron. Or the new variant could prompt them to make the protocols more restrictive.
Their stance will become clear soon enough; The International Olympic Committee said organizers are expected to release the latest version of their COVID- 19 “playbooks” within the next week or two.
“The latest developments regarding COVID- 19 reinforce the importance of all the measures included in the Playbooks, which can be further adapted if necessary to match any particular circumstances and ensure safety of all in an evolving context,” the IOC said in a statement.
Will qualifying events or other international competitions be affected?
This is the most pressing question, and the answer is likely yes.
The Chinese Figure Skating Association already announced this week that it has postponed its national championships, which were scheduled to start Dec. 6, due to COVID- 19. And as more countries impose travel restrictions due to omicron, it’s becoming clear that those restrictions could disrupt major international sporting events.
Japan, for instance, has closed its borders to foreign visitors but is set to host the Grand Prix final – a bellwether event in Olympic figure skating – at the end of next week. It’s unclear if athletes will be granted exemptions in order to compete.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, recentlyimposed travel rules could impact preOlympic events in several winter sports, including Alpine and cross- country skiing.
“If travel restrictions and quarantine rules are maintained, the organization of international sporting events in Switzerland will be in danger, if not impossible,” Jürg Stahl, the president of Switzerland’s national Olympic committee, said according to The Associated Press.