The 2022 Winter Olympics will open on Friday in the Chinese capital Beijing against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has overshadowed one of the world's biggest sporting spectacles.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, on Friday at 8 p.m. Local time (7 a.m.). The games will last over two weeks, with the closing ceremony on February 20.
Beijing hosted the event 14 years after the 2008 Summer Games, becoming the first city to host both editions of the Olympic Games.
There are a total of 109 medals set up for grab in 15 different disciplines.
COVID-19 restrictions: The Beijing Games come just six months after the completion of the Tokyo Summer Olympics which were postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are the second Olympic Games to be held during the pandemic.
As for the Games, China has doubled down on its "zero tolerance" policy against COVID-19, locking down cities, shutting down transport links and launching a massive testing program.
Beijing residents have suddenly been forced to undergo a local lockdown and increased testing.
Meanwhile, some experts question how effective or realistic China's approach is.
"I think it's more pretense than substance," said Dr., chair of the division of infectious diseases at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Gerald Evans said.
Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, said "extreme measures" like these only work if there are no leaks, so the app "should be implemented brilliantly."
"This type of strategy is likely to have some impact, but I think the results could still be disappointing," he told Global News in an email.
There are limits to who can participate in the Games, and no international spectators are allowed. Tickets are distributed only to "targeted" groups of people and are not sold to the general public.
The movement of all athletes, sports staff and the media will be restricted within a "closed loop".
"Within the closed circuit, all sports participants will be subjected to daily health checks and tests and will be allowed to move between permitted destinations (including sports venues, accommodation facilities, etc.) on dedicated transport for the Games," Playbook of the Committee for International Olympic Games States.
"For something infectious like Omicron, I think it would be more effective to stop the infection than to stop mobility once the infection is detected," Furness said.
Evans said the daily test is likely to be "less effective" given its transmittance amid the spread of the Omicron version.
Masks are mandatory in places for everyone, except athletes, during training and competition.
Furness recommended universal use of N95 masks as well as the need for indoor air quality standards to prevent infection.
While COVID-19 vaccination is not required at the Winter Olympics, anyone who is not fully vaccinated will need to be quarantined for 21 days upon arrival.
Although cases have been lower in China than in other countries in the region, both Furness and Evans said they were likely to rise after the Games are over.
Seven events will make their Olympic debut in Beijing this year.
The women's monoboob, men's and women's freestyle ski big air event, and mixed team events in short track, ski jumping, snowboard cross and freestyle ski aerials have been added to the Olympic calendar.
All the stadiums that will be used will be powered by green electricity, and the organizers aim to host the first carbon-neutral Olympic Games.
Canada has sent 215 athletes who will compete for medals in 14 disciplines. The team is Canada's third-largest Olympic delegation after Pyeongchang 2018, when 225 participated, and Sochi 2014, in which 222 athletes represented the country.
Snowboarder Brooke D'Hondt is the youngest member of the team at 16, while curler Jennifer Jones, 47, is the oldest.
This is the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics list in Canada, with 106 women and 109 men competing.
Canada pins its medal hopes on freestyle skier Mikel Kingsbury of Quebec, who sped to gold at Pyeongchang 2018 and silver at Sochi 2014, as well as World Cup winner Ivani Blondin of Ottawa.
Veteran short track speed skater and five-time gold medalist Charles Hamelin is making his fifth Olympic appearance. He is one medal short of becoming Canada's most decorated Winter Olympian.
Currently, the honor falls to Cindy Klaasen, a retired long track speed skater.
Hamlin and women's hockey captain Mary-Philippe Paulin have been named Canada's flag bearers for Friday's opening ceremony.
The stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) will not be in action after the league pulled out of the Beijing Olympics in December due to a disruption to its schedule due to COVID-19. The pandemic has forced the postponement of more than 100 NHL games.
The United States looks to dominate the half-pipe snowboard events once again, Shaun White is competing in his fifth Winter Games and looking to close out his Olympic career with a fourth gold, and Chloe Kim is banking on a successful defense of her Pyeongchang crown.
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin is trying to win her third consecutive Olympic gold by descending in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Norway is expected to take the most medals for the second consecutive Winter Olympics, according to Gracenote, a company that supplies sports analysis, which presents 45 medals for the country.
The recent mysterious disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai will further investigate the safety and surveillance of athletes.
Peng, a three-time Olympian and former Wimbledon champion, was not seen in public for more than two weeks in November after she accused a top Chinese official of sexual assault. She later denied those allegations.
"Athletes have been advised not to say anything to anyone that could be considered political," Lenskij said, adding that competitive Olympians should be "quite concerned" about what they can and cannot say.
Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states that "no political, religious or racial demonstration or propaganda of any kind is permitted in any Olympic venues, venues or other areas." That rule was relaxed in Tokyo last year to allow gestures on the field before the start of the competition if they are done without interruption and with respect to the competitors.
Athletes also have the opportunity to express their views when speaking to the media during the Olympics, according to updated IOC guidelines released ahead of the Tokyo Games in July 2021. Lenskij said that despite all opposition from the IOC, athletes "have no freedom of expression."
He added that those who wish to express their concerns about any human rights violations are "constrained by concerns for their own safety" in China.
A Beijing 2022 official warned athletes in January that any behavior by athletes that violates the Olympic spirit or Chinese rules could be subject to sanctions.
Canada's former ambassador to the country said China will face "consequences" if it retaliates against athletes from countries that have joined a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.
In a previous interview with Global News, Guy Saint-Jacques said that he is not worried about the safety of the athletes because of the global backlash he says he will face if China takes such a step.
"I think there would be such a public and international outcry if they dared to do something for athletes from countries that have officially boycotted the Winter Games," he told Abigail Biman in the West Block.
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