Asian Games in China postponed because of spread of COVID-19

Three months after Beijing hosted Paralympics and Winter Olympics, the Olympic Council of Asia was established. saidFriday’s Asian Games in China will be postponed due to concerns about the spread of Omicron variant COVID-19.

The OCA saidIt did not pick new dates. saidAfter talks with the Chinese Olympic Committee and local organizers, they will be announced “in a near future”.

The OCA Statement saidLocal organizers were prepared to deliver games on time, despite global challenges. All stakeholders reached an agreement after considering carefully the global pandemic situation as well as the size and importance of the games.

China’s state-run television also reported on the postponement, in a short statement. However, it did not mention anything about rescheduling.

The Asian Games would be held in Hangzhou, the eastern city. It was expected to host more than 11,000 athletes. The 2018 edition was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The World University Games (another major multi-sport event) has been also postponed by the organizers said Friday. They were originally scheduled for last year, but were delayed until 2022. They were scheduled to be held this year in Chengdu’s western city, June 26-July 7. A total of 6,000 athletes were expected to participate.

The games are managed by the International University Sports Federation in Switzerland. saidThey would be held in 2023, but they did not provide any date or specifics.

Leonz Eder, president of FISU, stated that “Continued uncertainty has made rescheduling a sensible choice.” saidMake a statement.

Both events were expected using the “closed circuit” system used for the Beijing Olympics Paralympics and Olympics. It kept media and athletes isolated from Beijing’s general population and required daily temperature checks and tests.

The Winter Olympics had only 2,900 participants. There were about 700 participants in the Winter Paralympics.

Even though organizers had planned to host both events just weeks ago, the spread of Omicron and lockdowns in Shanghai & Beijing seem to have rendered them impossible. saidBoth events would proceed.

OCA also announced that Asian Youth Games, scheduled for Dec. 20-28 at Shantou in China, would be cancelled. Youth games that had been cancelled once before will be held next year in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).

China continues to adhere to a strict policy of “zero COVID”, despite the fact that many countries are relaxing restrictions and trying to live with the virus. A large portion of Shanghai — a port, finance and manufacturing hub — has been shut down. This is causing disruptions in lives and a loss to the economy.

This policy has been closely linked with President and Head of the Communist Party Xi Jinping. The party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee strongly reaffirmed the decision on Thursday.

According to the official Xinhua News Agency, “Relaxation will undoubtedly result in massive numbers of infections and critical cases, and even deaths, severely impacting the economy and society, as well as people’s lives, and their health.” saidIt contains a summary of the meeting’s results.

The meeting “emphasized the importance of adhering to China’s dynamic zero-COVID strategy and fighting any attempts to question, distort or dismiss China’s anti-COVID policies.”

China reported Friday 4,628 COVID-19 new cases. Most of them were asymptomatic and found in Shanghai, China’s largest, about 177 kilometers east of Hangzhou.