OREANDA-NEWS. State Duma Deputy Dmitry Svishchev in an interview with Gazeta.Ru spoke about the potential cancellation of the Olympic Games - 2022 in Beijing due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19.

“There is always a threat, at every step, but I really hope that all the potentially negative surprises of the Olympics will be bypassed. The organizing committee takes the issue of ensuring the safety of athletes very seriously, takes into account the experience of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, the canceled Youth World Ice Hockey Championship, in order to make out all the nuances.

I periodically attend meetings of the Russian Olympic Committee and I can say that the control measures that will be used in Beijing will probably not be popular, but they will be effective. Strict control, constant testing, minimal communication with people outside the team, as well as restrictions on movement - hotel, transport, stadium. And vice versa.

Unfortunately, athletes will not be able to enjoy the beauty and nature of Beijing - they will only move to the Olympic venues directly. At the moment, this is the only possible way to make sure that the Games take place, ”Svishchev said.

The deputy also answered the question of whether China will be able to take into account the mistakes of other organizers of sports in the era of the coronavirus pandemic and hold OI-2022 at a high level.

“I think Beijing will cope with the task of organizing the Olympics. The Chinese are a very disciplined nation, everyone works according to orders and according to the protocols that have been prescribed. I have no doubt that everything will go well. But today one cannot be 100% sure - there are certainly fears, anxiety too, but I think that additional security measures will be involved that will minimize the risks, "Svishchev concluded.