China crafts a carefully curated slate of Olympic spectators

By SAM McNEIL
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Skiing, skating and other competitions take place before a global TV audience, but few see them in person. China is enforcing strict anti-coronavirus controls and decided against allowing tourists to come from abroad. Instead, organizers said they would invite 150,000 spectators including schoolchildren, diplomats, buisnesspeople and what the organizing committee called winter sports enthusiasts. People who attended the opening ceremony and competitions were required to receive a third dose of an anti-coronavirus vaccine as a booster, present two negative virus tests before events and take two more tests afterward. The curling competition in the National Aquatics Center took place before about 200 spectators who sat quietly, surrounded by thousands of empty seats.