"We have received directives that everyone participating in the Beijing Games must be vaccinated. I assume that this will be implemented," IIHF president and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member René Fasel tells Watson's Klaus Zaugg upon request.
If confirmed, the Chinese organizers would definitely set a new and certainly not uncontroversial standard regarding the conduction of competitions of such an international scope. "I assume that this vaccination requirement will apply not only to athletes but to all persons accredited for the Games," Fasel adds.
The Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, will take place from February 4 to 20, 2022.