China will not permit ticket sales to any individuals at the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, a move Olympic officials say is designed to prevent COVID-19 spread within the country. The decision, which comes weeks before thousands of international athletes and officials are slated to arrive in China for the Olympics, is a sharp departure from previous plans to allow Chinese citizens into the events.
Chinese Olympic officials had decided in September that no international visitors would be permitted to purchase tickets to the Games. On Monday they expanded that order to include Chinese residents. However, organizers left the door open for an "adapted program that will invite groups of spectators to be present on site during the Games.