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.