Stephen Wade
Associated Press Sports Writer
Less than three months after Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the Olympic Council of Asia said on May 6 that this year’s Asian Games in China have been postponed due to concerns about the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in China .
The OCA said a new date had not been selected, but said it would be announced “in the near future” after negotiations with local organizers and the Chinese Olympic Committee.
The OCA statement said that despite the global challenges, local organizers “are fully prepared to host the competition on time. However, this decision was made by all stakeholders after careful consideration of the pandemic situation and the size of the competition.”
The delay reflects growing fears among Chinese leaders that the outbreak could spread rapidly from Shanghai to Beijing in an important political year. The ruling Communist Party, which will hold a major meeting this fall, does not want any signs of instability, pandemic-related or not.
Despite the economic cost and the fact that many other countries around the world are relaxing and trying to live with the virus, China is sticking to a “zero-coronavirus” strategy of implementing lockdowns and other restrictions.
Chinese state television also reported on the postponement of the Asian Games in a brief statement, but did not specify anything about the rescheduling.
The Asian Games will be held in the eastern city of Hangzhou from September 10 to 25 and will see more than 11,000 athletes participating – more than the typical Summer Olympics. The previous edition was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018.
The Universiade, another major multi-sport event, has also been postponed, organizers said. They were originally scheduled to take place last year, but have been postponed to 2022. They will be held in the western city of Chengdu from June 26 to July 7 this year. About 6,000 athletes are believed to be involved.
The Swiss International University Sports Federation, which is in charge of the competition, said it would take place in 2023, but gave no dates or details.
“Continued uncertainty about conditions makes rescheduling a sensible option,” FISU President Leonz Eder said in a statement.
Both events are expected to be played using the “closed-loop” system of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. It isolates athletes and media from the general population in Beijing and requires daily testing and frequent temperature checks for all involved.
The Winter Olympics are a relatively small event with only 2,900 athletes. There are about 700 people at the Winter Paralympics.
The spread of the omicron variant in Shanghai and Beijing appears to have made both events impossible to hold, even though organizers said just a few weeks ago that both events would take place. Much of Shanghai – a financial, manufacturing and shipping hub – has been locked down, disrupting people’s lives and taking a toll on the economy.
The OCA also announced that the Asian Youth Games, scheduled for December 20-28 in Shantou, China, will be cancelled. The previously postponed Youth Games will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 2025.
Two international track and field events scheduled for this year in China were also canceled.
The Diamond League matches in Shanghai and Shenzhen were canceled “due to travel restrictions and the current strict quarantine requirements for entry into China,” organizers said in a statement.
Organisers say an alternative event will take place on August 6 in Chorzow, Poland.
The strict “zero-coronavirus” policy was highly endorsed by the ruling Communist Party general secretary, Xi Jinping, and was strongly reiterated at an all-party Politburo Standing Committee meeting on May 5.
“The relaxation will undoubtedly lead to a large number of infections, severe cases and deaths, seriously affecting economic and social development and people’s lives and health,” the official Xinhua news agency said in summarizing the meeting’s conclusions.
The meeting “underscored the importance of unwavering adherence to the dynamic zero-coronavirus policy and resolutely combating any attempt to distort, question or deny China’s anti-coronavirus policy.”
