Winter Olympics: What you need to know ahead of Beijing 2022

CNN — There are just weeks until the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the second Games to be held in the middle of the pandemic after last year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Video Ad Feedback China faces host of challenges as Winter Olympics loom 02:38 - Source: CNN Last month, Huang Chun, a member of the local organizing committee, accepted that the Games could bring “Covid-19 cases or small clusters of infections” into China given that “a large number of overseas personnel will gather, causing a very high risk of transmission.” Over the course of the pandemic, the country has implemented a zero-Covid policy of mass testing, extensive quarantines and snap lockdowns to eradicate any emergence of the virus. Video Ad Feedback Bob Costas shares personal story on Beijing's playbook of repressing criticism 02:48 - Source: CNN Following the announcement of the US diplomatic boycott, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the US should “stop politicizing sports and hyping up the so-called ‘diplomatic boycott’ so as not to affect China-US dialogue and cooperation in important areas.” As for athletes, the controversies around the Games can present a moral dilemma. The IOC said at the time that if any North Korean athletes were to qualify for the Winter Olympics through processes already taking place, it “will take an appropriate decision in due course for the athlete concerned.” North Korean athletes did compete at the 2018 Games, with athletes from the North and South marching together under one flag at the Opening Ceremony.