Olympic preparations on track despite COVID-19 challenge

Challenges remaining

With the infrastructure for the Games almost ready, organizers have been shifting the focus from venue construction to bringing test events back on track, while cautiously mitigating the pandemic's impact.

Scheduled for February as part of the International Ski Federation's World Cup series, an Alpine skiing race that was planned as the first official Beijing 2022 test event was called off amid the pandemic.

The outbreak has resulted in the postponement or cancellation of a number of major international events, including the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and soccer's European championship.

On Sept 30, the International Skating Union announced the postponement of two Beijing 2022 test events in December－the figure skating Grand Prix final and a leg of the short-track speed skating World Cup－at the refurbished Capital Gymnasium in Beijing. That followed the cancellation in August of four long-track and two short-track events on the circuit because of the pandemic.

However, Beijing 2022 organizers and China's winter sports governing body have reiterated that they are proceeding with preparations for future test events in the hope that the global health crisis eases.

"Flexible planning to make sure the test events go ahead despite the challenge is one of the priorities of our work at the moment," said Cai Qi, Beijing's Party chief and president of the 2022 organizing committee, at a recent preparation review meeting.

"We have to stay in close contact with international winter sports federations and adjust the event plans reasonably to get the action going while sticking to the virus-prevention protocols in our country."

Should the test events proceed on a later date, they are expected to be held without a live audience and will only feature Chinese athletes as the focus will mainly be on the evaluation of facilities, venue operation and service, according to ISU proposals.

Meanwhile, the IOC has expressed cautious optimism about the feasibility of the 2022 Games, citing the development of rapid testing methods and vaccines.

"When I say 'carefully optimistic', it's because we don't know what the situation will be a year from now," Christophe Dubi, IOC executive director for the Olympic Games, said during an online speech at last month's World Winter Sports Expo (Beijing) 2020.

"But we are optimistic because we know we can do it, because we have a fantastic partnership with Tokyo and equally strong partnership with Beijing, and we are going to deliver."

The Tokyo Summer Games have been rescheduled to run from July 23 to Aug 8 next year. The Beijing Winter Olympics are set to open less than six months later.