INTERNATIONAL:​ The Beijing Winter Olympics will mainly rely on chartered and temporary flights from cities like Tokyo and Singapore to bring in athletes for the games amid concerns over COVID-19 and tight restrictions on travel into the country, an IOC official has announced on Friday.

The Director of Arrivals and Departure Center with the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee, Zhang Liang says that he Omicron variant has already spread to over 50 countries. The epidemic prevention situation is still severe and complicated so they are thinking of the best possible way.

IOC thinks of the needs of preventing imported cases and the recovery of international airline routes, in order to ensure that all stakeholders can come to China to participate in the Winter Olympics in a safe and smooth manner, the committee has determined to primarily rely on charter flights and temporary flights, and commercial flights to be used as a supplement. Chinese and foreign airlines will participate in organising these temporary flights from cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, and Tokyo, with commercial flights utilised as a supplement.

Athletes and other attendees will have to arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport before entering a closed loop, strictly separated from other areas of China, where they will remain for their entire stay before leaving.