Photo/Illutration Athletes arriving at a hotel to compete in a test event for the Winter Olympics in Beijing are greeted by staff in protective gear on Dec. 2. (Provided by Ski Association of Japan)

With 50 days to go until the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, which will open on Feb. 4, China has ramped up anti-COVID-19 measures, as seen at a recent test event.

A test pre-Olympic event for Nordic skiing held in Zhangjiakou in Hebei province on Dec. 4 and 5 offered a preview of what lies in store for athletes, officials and the media.

When the Japanese ski team arrived at a hotel in the city, they were met with thorough anti-virus measures, the team members said.

Staff in protective gear squirted an antiseptic solution over the bodies of the team members and their luggage.

The members were greeted with a banner and staff who said, “Welcome to China,” upon entering the hotel building.

The team boarded a plane bound for China at Frankfurt Airport in Germany. Staff of the Chinese airline company at a check-in counter, as well as its cabin attendants, wore white protective gear, the team members said.

Sakutaro Kobayashi, 21, who competed in the Nordic combined event, complained of the smell of a chlorine-like antiseptic, which lingered in his nose.

“It was the most intense thing,” he said.

Hallways, elevators and everywhere he went were sanitized thoroughly, and everything “felt wet all the time,” he said.

When he touched something on which antiseptics had dried and turned cakey, his hand became white, he said.

The team left the city on Dec. 6. Throughout their stay, they were only allowed to move between the hotel and the competition venues and only by a designated bus.

An Asahi Shimbun reporter on Dec. 4 tried to visit a venue to cover the event.

On the way to a hotel from a station in Zhangjiakou, a taxi carrying the reporter was stopped at a security checkpoint.

Police asked the reporter, “Where are you going? Show me an ID.”

The reporter initially planned to take a designated bus from the station to the hotel. But the reporter could not find one.

The reporter asked a person related to the event, then took a taxi.

But it turned out that a vehicle unrelated to the event was not allowed to enter the area.

The reporter was told by police, “We will not let you in unless you have a press credential (for the event).”

The reporter said, “I need to first be allowed to enter the hotel to obtain a press credential.”

The exchange continued for about 30 minutes, until the reporter was allowed to proceed to the hotel.

Results of test events have prompted Beijing officials and the Olympics organizers to jack up security.

These tests using the Olympic venues since October have highlighted the challenges facing the Beijing Games in the midst of a global pandemic.

At a luge test event, which was held in Beijing in mid-November, three foreign athletes tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The event held in Zhangjiakou was the last of such test events.

Restrictions on movement and activities for those who will participate in the Beijing Olympics are expected to be tougher than those for the recent Tokyo Olympics.

According to a so-called playbook that defines activities rules for people related to the Beijing Olympics, members of the media will be required to stay in the so-called “bubble.”

In the Tokyo Olympics, athletes were subjected to the bubble restrictions but not the media. However, the bubble had leaks. 

During the Tokyo Games, athletes came into contact with the public at places such as a station and an airport lobby.

But there will be a designated aisle and train for the Beijing Olympics to avoid such mingling. 

During the Tokyo Olympics, there were many cases in which athletes and others broke the playbook rules and had their credentials pulled or suspended.

But for the Beijing Olympics, violators will likely receive a permanent ban and be fined.

(This article was written by Soshi Katsumi, Hiroki Tohda, a correspondent, and Ryo Inoue, a correspondent reporting from Zhangjiakou.)

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