Photo: CFP

A sequence of test matches for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will begin on Tuesday, lasting three months.

From October 5 to the end of the year, eight venues of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou will host 10 international matches, three international training weeks and two domestic testing activities, Yao Hui, an official in charge of venues at the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said on Monday.

The organizing committee has invited experts to inspect and check the venues. The committee is paying extra attention on important processes of the test matches, including immigration process, remote health monitoring and closed-loop management, Yao said.

In the period of test matches, it is estimated that more than 2,000 athletes, team officials, international technical officials, and timing and scoring professionals from overseas will come to China to participate in various international events and training weeks, said Yao.

All athletes for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and all Games participants who are fully vaccinated will enter a closed-loop management system upon arrival in Beijing, which was part of the key COVID-19 countermeasures the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting in late September.

The closed-loop management system, to be implemented from January 23, 2022 until the end of the Paralympics on March 13, will cover all Games-related areas, including arrival and departure, transport, accommodation, catering, competitions, and the opening and closing ceremonies. Within the closed-loop, participants will be allowed to move only between Games-related venues for training, competitions and work. A dedicated Games transport system will be put in place.

Global Times