A senior Olympics official said that venues at the Beijing Winter Games could be up to 50 per cent full, countering fears that Covid-19 would lead to a second consecutive Games without spectators.

Last year's Tokyo Summer Olympics took place largely behind closed doors and Chinese organisers decided not to sell tickets for the Beijing Games because of fears about the virus, AFP reports.

But Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games Executive Director at the International Olympic Committee, said he hoped venues in China would be filled to between 30 and 50pc.

A person looks through the fence at the closed-loop area for Olympics personnel on the Olympic Green near at the 2022 Winter Olympics on February 1. — AP
A person looks through the fence at the closed-loop area for Olympics personnel on the Olympic Green near at the 2022 Winter Olympics on February 1. — AP

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...