6 January 2022 – With just under four weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) believes the host city is in impeccable condition.

Successful test events have been held and lessons learned incorporated into Games planning to ensure excellent conditions for the athletes to perform at the highest level.

IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi said: “[With] one month to go we are into the fine, very fine details I would say. We have had an excellent campaign of test events, we’ve learnt a lot. Modifications, slight modifications, have been made to the operational plans. The venues are ready. They look fantastic. They have now received the look of the Games and frankly it’s impeccable.”

Dubi was speaking one day after his arrival in the Chinese capital and after the IOC held a series of the traditional consultation calls with athlete representatives from around the world, the National Olympic Committees and the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations. They were also joined by the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee.

During the calls Juan Antonio Samaranch, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Beijing 2022 told stakeholders everything is on track to stage a safe Olympic Winter Games for all participants and the people of Beijing.

As Games participants begin to arrive in the Chinese capital, IOC President Thomas Bach stressed that now is a critical time for everyone to be extra vigilant and even before departing for Beijing they should already follow the measures laid out in the Beijing 2022 Playbooks.

President Bach said: “Beijing starts now for all of us. We must do everything to ensure that the Olympic dreams of athletes are not taken away just days before departure. The Playbooks are not just a rule book – they should now be a way of life”.

Some of the Playbook rules were addressed again during the calls. The IOC Medical and Scientific Director, Dr Richard Budgett, emphasised that athletes and Games participants with an essential role can continue participating at the Olympic Games, even if they are defined as a close contact to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. A special regime for close contacts is in place for such cases, including testing twice a day and special arrangements for travel and dining. For example, conditions are in place to ensure the quality of meals, and athletes will also be able to draw on mental health support at all times.

The stakeholders connected on all three consultation calls voiced their full support for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the measures in place to ensure the safety of all involved.

Athletes and Games participants who test positive for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic will be discharged from quarantine once they have two consecutive negative COVID-19 (PCR) test results with at least 24 hours between the two samples and no other COVID-19 symptoms. They will then be released into the close-contact management system, i.e. tested twice per day, but allowed as a close contact to carry on their essential activities related to the Games without being isolated. For athletes, that means they would be able to continue training and competing. Each situation will be reviewed by a Medical Expert Panel (MEP) made up of top-level Chinese and international medical experts.

The Olympic Games Beijing 2022 will take place from 4 to 20 February 2022 and will be followed by the Paralympic Games from 4 to 13 March 2022.