Beijing 2022 shifts ticketing to adaptive program ending any prospect of public sale

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games announced the finalization of their spectator policy on Monday, revealing that there would be no public sale of tickets for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A statement from the local organizing committee read, “given the current grave and complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators, it was decided that tickets should not be sold anymore but be part of an adapted programme that will invite groups of spectators to be present on site during the Games.”

Adding, “the organisers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event as pre-conditions for the safe and sound delivery of the Games.”

Beijing 2022 had previously made some ticketing concessions, announcing in September that tickets would only be available to spectators residing within China’s mainland.

At the time, the purchase of tickets would have been subject to spectators meeting the required Covid-19 countermeasures, which will likely remain in place, or be further strengthened, for groups invited to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics under the new ticketing policy.

Today’s announcement of the cancellation of public ticket sales comes as the omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to be discovered in Chinese cities. Positive cases have already been confirmed in Wuxi and Tianjin, with the first case in Beijing confirmed on Saturday.

Organizers have worked to reduce contact between athletes, coaches, officials, and other Olympic personnel and the Chinese populace through the creation and implementation of the closed-loop management system, which recently opened in anticipation of the 2022 Winter Olympics.