The organisers of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games announced that as part of the Covid-19 restrictions in the nation’s capital, tickets will no longer be sold to the general public. Games organisers previously announced that while international spectators would not be able to purchase tickets, domestic audiences would still be able to attend. However, in the latest announcement, officials of the International Olympic Committee said that tickets will only be distributed to invited “groups of spectators” only.  

Organisers of the Beijing 2022 Games say that they intend to hold the games in a closed loop system that encompasses sporting venues, official hotels, and the event’s own transportation system. Fully vaccinated participants will be able to enter the closed loop system without quarantining while those who are either not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing. Organisers say that medical exemptions may be granted to those who are unvaccinated, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  

Officials state that during the Games (Olympics: February 4-20. Paralympics: March 4-13), participants will not be able to have contact with the general public, and will be subject to daily health monitoring and frequent tests. Positive tests will mean that participants cannot compete further in the Games. Symptomatic cases will mean that the athlete will stay at a designated hospital for treatment and monitoring while those who are asymptomatic will be transferred to an isolation facility.  

The estimated budget of the 2022 Games is equivalent to roughly 4 billion United States dollars. While Beijing will become the first city to host both the winter and summer Olympic games, the latest games do not come without controversy, as several nations including the United States of America, Canada, Japan, Australia, Lithuania, and Denmark have confirmed a diplomatic boycott of the games due to China's treatment of the Uyghur group alongside general human rights concerns in the nation. 

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