The Fort Worth Press - China replicates Beijing Olympic 'bubble' for rare sports event

USD -
AED 3.67298
AFN 68.986845
ALL 88.969965
AMD 387.269904
ANG 1.802796
AOA 928.498151
ARS 962.715602
AUD 1.467567
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.690641
BAM 1.753208
BBD 2.019712
BDT 119.536912
BGN 1.757025
BHD 0.376868
BIF 2899.760213
BMD 1
BND 1.29254
BOB 6.912131
BRL 5.424802
BSD 1.000309
BTN 83.60415
BWP 13.223133
BYN 3.273617
BYR 19600
BZD 2.01627
CAD 1.356615
CDF 2870.999439
CHF 0.849701
CLF 0.033745
CLP 931.129729
CNY 7.055102
CNH 7.053525
COP 4162.81
CRC 519.014858
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 98.841848
CZK 22.459602
DJF 178.123389
DKK 6.68035
DOP 60.041863
DZD 132.295347
EGP 48.529501
ERN 15
ETB 116.075477
EUR 0.895603
FJD 2.200302
FKP 0.761559
GBP 0.75146
GEL 2.729858
GGP 0.761559
GHS 15.725523
GIP 0.761559
GMD 68.490697
GNF 8642.218776
GTQ 7.732543
GYD 209.255317
HKD 7.79346
HNL 24.813658
HRK 6.799011
HTG 131.985747
HUF 352.559908
IDR 15165.7
ILS 3.767925
IMP 0.761559
INR 83.54165
IQD 1310.379139
IRR 42092.533829
ISK 136.389815
JEP 0.761559
JMD 157.159441
JOD 0.708699
JPY 144.245499
KES 129.020153
KGS 84.238498
KHR 4062.551824
KMF 441.349989
KPW 899.999433
KRW 1336.334982
KWD 0.30504
KYD 0.833584
KZT 479.582278
LAK 22088.160814
LBP 89576.048226
LKR 305.193379
LRD 200.058266
LSL 17.560833
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.750272
MAD 9.699735
MDL 17.455145
MGA 4524.124331
MKD 55.221212
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999955
MOP 8.029402
MRU 39.752767
MUR 45.879795
MVR 15.360331
MWK 1734.35224
MXN 19.35195
MYR 4.204986
MZN 63.849948
NAD 17.560676
NGN 1639.450294
NIO 36.81526
NOK 10.507885
NPR 133.76929
NZD 1.604583
OMR 0.384951
PAB 1.000291
PEN 3.749294
PGK 3.91568
PHP 55.662978
PKR 277.935915
PLN 3.82885
PYG 7804.187153
QAR 3.646884
RON 4.454898
RSD 104.853299
RUB 92.775837
RWF 1348.488855
SAR 3.752611
SBD 8.306937
SCR 13.62004
SDG 601.507153
SEK 10.19298
SGD 1.291935
SHP 0.761559
SLE 22.847303
SLL 20969.494858
SOS 571.648835
SRD 29.852985
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.752476
SYP 2512.529936
SZL 17.567198
THB 33.026945
TJS 10.633082
TMT 3.5
TND 3.030958
TOP 2.342095
TRY 34.109425
TTD 6.803666
TWD 31.999763
TZS 2728.701997
UAH 41.346732
UGX 3705.911619
UYU 41.33313
UZS 12729.090005
VEF 3622552.534434
VES 36.762465
VND 24605
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.797463
XAF 587.999014
XAG 0.031897
XAU 0.000382
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.741335
XOF 588.001649
XPF 106.906428
YER 250.324992
ZAR 17.524735
ZMK 9001.209021
ZMW 26.482307
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSD

    0.0300

    25.01

    +0.12%

  • CMSC

    0.0650

    25.12

    +0.26%

  • BCC

    7.6300

    144.69

    +5.27%

  • NGG

    -1.2200

    68.83

    -1.77%

  • BCE

    -0.4200

    35.19

    -1.19%

  • SCS

    -0.8000

    13.31

    -6.01%

  • GSK

    -0.8100

    41.62

    -1.95%

  • RIO

    2.2700

    65.18

    +3.48%

  • BTI

    -0.3100

    37.57

    -0.83%

  • AZN

    0.3200

    78.9

    +0.41%

  • RBGPF

    60.5000

    60.5

    +100%

  • JRI

    -0.0400

    13.4

    -0.3%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    6.93

    -0.29%

  • BP

    0.3300

    32.76

    +1.01%

  • RELX

    0.7600

    48.13

    +1.58%

  • VOD

    -0.1700

    10.06

    -1.69%

China replicates Beijing Olympic 'bubble' for rare sports event
China replicates Beijing Olympic 'bubble' for rare sports event / Photo: © International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)/AFP

China replicates Beijing Olympic 'bubble' for rare sports event

China will replicate its Covid-secure Olympic bubble when it hosts its first major international sports event since the Beijing Winter Games -- with organisers calling it a "roller-coaster ride".

Text size:

Chengdu, which until recently was under lockdown and was also rattled by an earthquake earlier this month, will stage the table tennis world team championships from Friday for 10 days.

Much like the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics in February-March, the tournament will unfold in a "closed loop" to satisfy the strict zero-Covid policies which have seen most other major sports events in China cancelled throughout the pandemic.

The chief executive of the ITTF, the governing body of table tennis, called it "one of the most –- if not the most –- complex and important table tennis events in ITTF history".

Nearly 1,300 people will be encased in the championships' bubble.

"The road to Chengdu was indeed bumpy or a roller-coaster ride," Steve Dainton said.

The competition was pushed back once because of an upsurge in coronavirus cases driven by the Omicron variant at the beginning of the year.

Then, with under a month to go, the southwestern city of Chengdu found itself under a tight lockdown that closed schools, disrupted businesses and forced residents to stay home for over two weeks.

"Obviously we were also looking for contingencies if finally we could not make it, but... the popularity and history that our sport has in China gave us always a strong sense of hope," said Dainton.

ITTF president Petra Sorling said "words cannot express" the excitement at the tournament finally kicking off.

- 'Hard restrictions' -

More than 250 table tennis players from across the globe, including the United States, arrived on specially chartered flights.

They, along with coaches, officials and other staff, will be in the closed loop for the duration of the championships.

They will stay in specific hotels, be shuttled to and from event venues, and must take a PCR test every day.

So far, the ITTF said all participants had tested negative since their arrival.

"It's great that we will be able to play this championships even if the restrictions are hard," Sweden's Kristian Karlsson was quoted as saying by the ITTF website.

As with the Beijing Winter Games, tickets have not been released for general sale to the public and spectators will instead be hand-picked by organisers.

Hosts China are the defending champions in the men's and women's events and historically the dominant force in both.

Reigning Olympic singles champions Ma Long and Chen Meng, and current world number ones Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha, are all included in the home squad.

China was supposed to host the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, but they were pushed back to next year because of Covid.

Asian Cup football was scheduled for next year, but China has already pulled out of hosting it.

J.Barnes--TFWP