London – Nice Britain expects to take a totally vaccinated staff of 57 athletes to February’s Winter Olympics, chef de mission Georgie Harland mentioned because the countdown reached 100 days to go on Wednesday.
Vaccination just isn’t obligatory for contributors however athletes and officers who usually are not jabbed for COVID-19 should spend 21 days in quarantine, with some case-by-case exceptions for medical causes.
Some British athletes reportedly went to the 2020 Tokyo Summer season Video games unvaccinated however Harland indicated that whereas Staff GB had but to pick most winter athletes, these on the lengthy checklist appeared to have fewer qualms.
“Our intelligence in the mean time tells us that the majority of these athletes on the lengthy checklist are already vaccinated. I’ve full confidence that we are going to go to the Video games with a totally vaccinated staff,” she mentioned.
Bobsled and skeleton check occasions had been held on the Nationwide Sliding Heart in Beijing on Monday, the primary worldwide competitors on the newly constructed venue.
“The suggestions popping out of the check occasions is that the venues are going to be unimaginable and Beijing are going to ship a improbable Video games,” mentioned Harland.
“Sure, there’s going to be restriction round actions however we managed that in Tokyo and we’ll be taking these learnings by way of to Beijing.”
Rights teams have known as for a boycott of the Video games to protest towards what they see as human rights atrocities in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. China has rejected these claims.
Harland mentioned the British Olympic Affiliation was conscious of potential issues and acknowledged the power of feeling some athletes may need.
“The British Olympic Affiliation upholds freedom of speech for athletes. It’s not our place to inform athletes what opinions they need to and shouldn’t have and the views they’ve,” she mentioned.
“Our first accountability is to share (the IOC pointers). After which as a part of that course of, an open dialogue with athletes about what’s vital to them and the place they could need to specific these views.”
Staff GB took 58 opponents throughout 11 sports activities to Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018, with a haul of 5 medals — a gold and 4 bronzes.
Harland mentioned the present estimate was 57 athletes for Beijing throughout 17 disciplines, with snowboarding and freestyle snowboarding supply among the greatest medal possibilities.
“I believe it’s actually vital we present that we don’t simply have one or two sports activities that we’re aggressive in,” she mentioned. “We’re taking athletes throughout extra sports activities than earlier than.
“We’ve bought very credible athletes throughout these disciplines as effectively.”
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