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Fans eager to witness the Winter Olympics, scheduled to commence on February 4, have some bad news. The organizers have confirmed that tickets for the upcoming Olympics will not be sold and only 'selected' spectators will be allowed. There won't be any fans from other countries allowed at the prestigious quadrennial Games as well.
The reason for the ban on the sale of tickets for the Games comes in the wake of restrictions arising out of the coronavirus pandemic. The organizers have decided on not selling tickets to control the spread of COVID-19.
"In order to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators, it has been decided that tickets should not be sold anymore," a statement from the organizing committee read.
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Read: Beijing Olympics 2022 Start Date, Time & Broadcast details
Winter Olympics tickets - What we know so far
It's not all over for fans yet. While tickets will not be sold to fans, the organizers of the Olympics have added that groups of limited spectators will be invited to the Games.
The organizers will have a robust mechanism in place for all the invited fans so that they would be able to abide by all the regulations enforced to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The limited spectators will be part of an 'adapted programme' created to ensure the well-being and safety of the athletes, the organizers and the volunteers.
Also read: IOC says athletes who test positive must produce two negative tests to be eligible to compete
The Winter Olympics will have stricter COVID-19 prevention measures than the ones that were in force for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year. The Tokyo Olympics were also held in empty stadiums last year with no access to fans.
COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory for all athletes. However, unvaccinated athletes will have to undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine and produce two negative PCR test reports, with a 24-hour gap between them, to be eligible to participate.
Also read: Beijing Olympics 2022- all you need to know
