WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2021) The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) does not see grounds for athletes to boycott the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, board chair Susanne Lyons told reporters on Tuesday.
"At this point in time, we are not expecting calls for an athletes' boycott, but we know there is still continued political tension," Lyons told a press briefing, adding that this issue has been thoroughly discussed.
Lyons acknowledged the existence of significant challenges facing the world, but noted that the Games can support global peace and cooperation through sports in spite of those issues.
Speaking of COVID-19, the USOPC chair expressed the hope that Beijing will follow the experience of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in which athletes competed while following strict COVID-19-related safety measures.
"We await new COVID-19 playbooks, which will be coming out any day now. We expect that the bubble environment that succeeded in Tokyo will be replicated with perhaps even more serious measures in Beijing," Lyons said.
The Beijing Winter Games will be held from February 4 to February 20, 2022.
