The winter sports aces expect strict corona conditions at the Olympics in Beijing. The focus is again on the question of vaccinations. Successful participation will hardly be possible for those who have not been vaccinated.
Berlin (dpa) – For Germany’s winter Olympians, there is an “urgent vaccination recommendation” with regard to the Beijing Games. That is the statement of the doctors of the German team, said Chief de Mission Dirk Schimmelpfennig of the German press agency.
The organizers of the Winter Games in China and the International Olympic Committee had previously announced the first corona conditions for the major event in February.
Accordingly, unvaccinated athletes would have to go into strict quarantine for three weeks after their entry. That would seriously disrupt their immediate preparation for the competitions. In the German team, however, the majority of athletes have already been vaccinated against the corona virus, Schimmelpfennig assured.
“It has been known for a long time that the general conditions in Beijing will certainly not be easy. So the announcement was not particularly surprising, ”said Stefan Schwarzbach from the German Ski Association (DSV). The relevant details were currently still missing. “But as of today we are assuming that the vaccination requirements for the German Ski Association should not cause any major problems because the majority of all athletes are already fully vaccinated.”
It is still unclear under what circumstances medical exceptions will be allowed and when unvaccinated people who cannot receive a vaccine on the advice of doctors will also be exempted from quarantine. Here the previously known rules of the Beijing makers are still vague. The question of the extent to which booster vaccinations are absolutely necessary if the first vaccinations were a long time ago has not yet been clearly answered.
The Olympic organizers announced the publication of a detailed corona manual for October 22nd, said Schimmelpfennig. The winter games are planned for February 4 to 20, 2022 in Beijing. The Paralympics will follow in March, for which the same conditions will apply.