Taiwan delegation to miss opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics

Taipei [Taiwan], January 28 : Taiwan's delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing will not participate in the opening ceremony due to COVID-19 and disrupted flight schedules, reported Sputnik.
The Taiwanese Sports Administration on Friday said in a statement, "Taiwan's 15-member athletic delegation, which includes athletes and coaches, will not take part in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games due to the tense epidemiological situation and other factors."
According to the Sports Administration, the Taiwanese team includes four athletes, and only one of them has arrived in Beijing so far, reported Sputnik.
Taiwanese delegation's members are visiting China from various countries including the US.
Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the schedule of Beijing-bounds flights. The development has prevented the Taiwanese delegation from attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in its entirety.
The 2022 Winter Olympics -- which will be held in Beijing from February 4 to 20 -- is expected to witness 32 world leaders and heads of international organisations.
The presence of a number of foreign guests comes as the US and a number of countries have announced the diplomatic boycott of games over China's human rights abuses.
The games also face the risk of air pollution and China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment earlier this week had announced that it will take measures to restrict the operations of some air polluters.
In northern China, meteorological conditions during this period can lead to a buildup in air pollution, reported China Daily quoting Liu Youbin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as saying at a news conference on Monday.