Data security: Several National Olympic Committees are also concerned about data security and warn against espionage – which, among other things, comes from the mandatory apartment “My 2022” could run out. Canadians, British, Dutch and Germans, among others, are worried about them cybersafety of their athletes.
In the Netherlands, all team members were asked to leave private technology at home and only those from I.O.C to use the mobile phones provided. These should then be completely destroyed after their return.
Shift? Because of the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the corona virus, the Swiss Chef de Mission, Ralph Stoeckli, called for the Games to be considered at the beginning of January. There is great concern that shortly before the games many athletes will become infected with Corona and then not be able to take part in the Olympics.
Dispute with Russia over vaccination status? A dispute could still arise with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) come. In the Russian Olympic team, the under-18s are not vaccinated – in addition to four freestyle skis, this also applies to three top figure skaters. 17-year-olds Alexandra Trusowa and Anna Scherbakova and 15-year-old Kamila Valeva are not vaccinated.
The ROC refers to preliminary talks with the IOC and the Chinese organizing committee, according to which under-18s are exempt from compulsory vaccination and 21-day isolation. The I.O.C announced this week that there is no free ticket for U18 athletes. Each case is to be reviewed by an international panel of experts. So it is possible that, for example, figure skating world champion Scherbakova is not allowed to go to the Olympics.
Can it actually be manipulated?
Hard to say. The German Olympic doctor Bernd Wolfarth fears distortion of competition due to the strict entry regulations. IOC representative Mota explains that the PCR-Tests are evaluated by internationally recognized laboratories. The medical expert panel has 20 members, including Chinese representatives and five international experts. This is to ensure the independence of the board.
The vaccination status, the individual medical history and also the type of sport should form the basis for the individual decision. So it is possible that an outdoor athlete with CT-Value of 32 may start, but an indoor athlete with a value of 38 may not.
The head of the German delegation, Dirk Schimmelpfennig, does not believe in manipulation, there is absolutely no basis for that. “I hope and am optimistic that there will be no arbitrary decisions. That’s why I don’t see the danger of manipulation.”, said Schimmelpfennig on Saturday (01/15/2022)
Will athletes not be able to go to the games for corona reasons?
Definitely – for example, if a corona infection becomes known shortly before departure. But it is also clear in advance that athletes will not go to the Olympics for corona-related reasons: This is how the American ice hockey professional league has it NHL the players were not given clearance for the winter games – partly for fear that the professionals would become infected with Corona and therefore their teams would be missing later.
Are there unvaccinated Olympic participants?
Little is known about this. However, a well-known athlete has spoken out publicly. The Swiss snowboard Olympic champion from 2014, Patrizia Kummer, is not vaccinated – and says she wants to go into 21-day preliminary isolation in China.
Will there be spectators at the competitions?
A few local fans should be admitted. It is still unclear whether viewers will really be there. That depends on the development of the corona numbers in China.
What is the current corona situation in China?
The country drives a strict Zero Covid-Strategy. This means that around 22 million people in a neighboring province of Beijing are currently in a lockdown – in a real lockdown with domestic isolation. For example, 13 million people in the metropolis of Xi’an are not allowed to leave their homes.
In Yuzhou, around 800 kilometers south of Beijing, 1.2 million people are in lockdown after three asymptomatic cases emerged. The numbers in China are currently rising again – albeit at a very low level.
Status: 01/24/2022, 10:21 am