The Winter Olympics are scheduled to open on February 4, but the build-up has been marred by COVID-19 cases ©Getty Images

Russian Ski Association President Elena Vyalbe believes the Winter Olympics here should have been postponed by a year as COVID-19 cases continue to wreak havoc on teams’ preparations for the Games, while an area close to the Chinese capital has gone into lockdown.

Last year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics were delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic and Vyalbe claims a similar move should have been taken for Beijing 2022.

The Games are expected to open in exactly a week’s time on February 4, but COVID-19 cases remain on the rise in China and across the world, largely due to the higher transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

Beijing is battling with COVID-19 infections with neighbouring Xiong’an locked down by Chinese authorities, according to the Agence France-Presse.

Xiong’an - a new area located in the Hebei province - has a population of around 1.2 million and is situated 100 kilometres southwest of the capital.

Although China has implemented a "zero-COVID" strategy, cases continue to emerge with 39 reported today.

The Norwegian cross-country skiing team have been among the hardest hit by the virus with double Olympic gold-medallist Simen Hegstad Krüger, nine-time world champion Heidi Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvå all testing positive.

Mass coronavirus testing has been taking place across Beijing over the past week ©Getty Images
Mass coronavirus testing has been taking place across Beijing over the past week ©Getty Images

Weng and Kalvå are set to remain in isolation until February 3 - just one day before the Opening Ceremony of the Games, while quarantine rules mean Krüger will miss the start of the Winter Olympics.

Following the news of the positive COVID-19 results for Weng and Kalvå, Vyalbe believes the Games should have been moved to next year.

"There will be no good Olympics," Vyalbe told Norwegian TV channel TV2.

"It looks like your luck will be just to come to China. 

"It would be better to postpone the Olympics for a year in the hope of improving the situation with the coronavirus, but of course it’s too late.

"Imagine if you were also unlucky like two Norwegian skiers."

The United States’ bobsleigh team have also suffered a blow after brakeman Josh Williamson confirmed he had tested positive last Sunday (January 23).

Williamson said the result meant he was unable to travel with the rest of his team-mates yesterday.



"This has not been an easy pill to swallow," Williamson wrote on Instagram.

"I have felt pretty helpless throughout this process, but I’ve also found myself laughing a bit at the situation I’m in.

"Isn’t it ironic that after four years of hard work, all there is to do is sit, rest, recover and have faith?

"Things I struggle to do most."

The Russian Olympic Committee has also reported cases with bobsledders Alexei Pushkarev and Vasily Kondratenko as well as figure skater Mikhail Kolyada and skeleton racer Nikita Tregubov contracting the virus.

The Swiss women’s ice hockey team flew to Beijing on Wednesday (January 26), but Alina Müller and Sinja Leemann were unable to board the plane as they continue their recovery from COVID-19.

It is hoped the pair would be able to join the rest of the squad before the competition is due to start on February 3.

Germany’s skeleton team are also holding out hope that three-time world gold medallist Axel Jungk and junior world champion Hannah Neise will recover from coronavirus in time for the Games.

Under Beijing 2022’s adapted COVID-19 rules, those infected will need to produce four negative polymerase chain reaction test results within five days of their planned departure date.

Three-time Olympic medallist Žan Košir is due to be one of Slovenia's flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony but has tested positive for COVID-19 ©Getty Images
Three-time Olympic medallist Žan Košir is due to be one of Slovenia's flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony but has tested positive for COVID-19 ©Getty Images

All vaccinated participants are required to test negative upon arrival in China before gaining entry into the organisers’ "closed-loop management system."

"The main concern in the pandemic situation for us is a matter of getting there safely rather than the bubble itself," the German Olympic Sports Confederation told Reuters.

Beijing 2022 confirmed yesterday that two of the 1,042 athletes and team officials that underwent PCR testing at the Beijing Capital International Airport returned positive results.

It has been reported that three-time Olympic snowboarding medallist Žan Košir – who is expected to be one of Slovenia’s flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony - tested positive following his arrival in China.

Košir claimed silver and bronze at Sochi 2014 before adding another bronze to his collection at Pyeongchang 2018.

According to Beijing 2022, there were also 10 cases among other Games personnel yesterday, with two of those coming from screening testing.

The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 69 including four athletes and team officials.