Timeline: 2022

The beginning of 2022 was dominated by sporting events being held as the hyper-contagious Omicron variant continued to spread worldwide.

January’s most prominent story was the uncertainty surrounding Novak Djokovic’s eligibility to enter Australia to defend his men’s singles title at the Australian Open. His unvaccinated status did not comply with Australian COVID immigration rules and he was detained upon arriving in Melbourne and ultimately deported before the tournament began. February brought the Winter Olympics in Beijing, which were held in a “closed-loop” system similar to what was used for the Tokyo Summer Games the previous summer. Athletes’ difficulties navigating COVID rules within the Olympic bubble was a main concern throughout the Games, which were already under close international scrutiny due to China’s human rights abuses in Xinxiang.

The Beijing Paralympics were held in March with similar COVID restrictions in place. Yet the pandemic’s impact on the Paralympics was largely overshadowed by the international attention directed at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to the banning of Russian (and Belarusian) athletes from the Games.

Two years into the pandemic, and with the unprecedented Omicron surge seemingly subsiding, COVID-19’s influence on the sports world drew far less attention for the remainder of 2022 – even as athletes continued to contract the virus and some suffered through the long-term consequences of infection.

January
February
March

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JANUARY

January 4

Djokovic posts that he has medical exemption to compete at Australian Open

Tennis star Novak Djokovic posts to Instagram announcing that he is traveling to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open with a “medical exemption.” His status for the tournament had been in jeopardy after organizers implemented a vaccine requirement for all players to comply with government regulations. Djokovic, the tournament’s defending champion, has refused to declare his vaccination status and had previously expressed skepticism about the COVID vaccine.



Australian Open officials quickly confirmed Djokovic’s status and outlined the process through which exemption applications were assessed: two panels of medical experts evaluated the evidence presented by each applicant with a final decision being made by the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel, a separate expert panel appointed by the Australian government. Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley clarified that 26 players submitted applications but only “a handful” had approved.

Amid concern that Djokovic’s star status may have afforded him preferential treatment through the process, Tiley affirmed, “There’s been no special favour, there’s been no special opportunity granted to Novak nor there would be to any tennis player.” Jaala Pulford, the Victoria State Minister for Sport, similarly responded to criticism around the decision by asserting, “Nobody has had special treatment. The process is incredibly robust.”

January 5

IOC pledges to hold Winter Olympics on schedule

The International Olympic Committee guarantees that the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will continue as planned despite the global spread of the Omicron variant. The assurance comes after a Swiss Olympic team leader asked the IOC to consider the possible postponement of the Games. The IOC’s response included reassurances of the effectiveness of a “closed-loop” bubble system (as was used for the Tokyo Summer Games the previous year) and the Chinese government’s commitment to COVID safety, especially the close monitoring of athletes arriving in China after recovering from a recent COVID infection.

January 6

Djokovic unable to enter Australia after visa rescinded

Novak Djokovic has his visa to visit Australia revoked at the Melbourne airport after immigration officials determine he did not satisfy policies required for entry. The Australian Border Force says in a statement that Djokovic “failed to provide appropriate evidence” to meet federal travel restrictions and that “Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia.” Djokovic is then transferred to a government detention hotel used for immigration cases with a court set to rule on his possible deportation on January 10.

Court documents show that Australian Open organizers had wrongly informed Djokovic that his recent recovery from a COVID infection would be sufficient grounds for a medical exemption to enter Australia despite his unvaccinated status. This advisement contradicted federal stipulations that were communicated to tournament officials by Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt. The Australian Border Force thus ruled that Djokovic’s exemption application was not approved because “previous infection with COVID-19 is not considered a medical contraindication for COVID-19 vaccination in Australia.”

Fans of Djovokic begin gathering outside of the immigration detention facility holding signs with messages such as “Free Novak!” and “Let Novak play!” The global attention given Djokovic’s predicament, however, offers activists an opportunity to highlight the plight of the dozens of refugees and political asylum seekers being detained at the same facility. Many of these refugees have extremely narrow legal pathways to being granted asylum in Australia and some have been confined to the immigration detention system for years.

January 8

NHL’s Sharks release Kane after violation of COVID protocols

The NHL’s San Jose Sharks release forward Evander Kane for violating COVID protocols while playing for the team’s minor league affiliate, The San Jose Barracuda. Kane had tested positive for COVID on December 22 but was found to have left isolation and traveled while COVID positive. The NHL Player’s Association later files a grievance asserting that the Sharks did not have sufficient grounds to terminate his contract. The team and the NHLPA reach a settlement in September.

January 16

Djokovic deported; will not compete in Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is deported from Australia after three Federal Court judges confirm Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s ruling to cancel the unvaccinated tennis star to protect public interest. The decision ended an 11-day controversy over whether his vaccination status should preclude him for participating in the Australian Open tournament. Hawke’s ruling was made on the grounds that Djovokic’s entry into Australia would pose undue risks onto the Australian public and would be “counterproductive to efforts at vaccination by others in Australia.” Hawke also expressed concerns that Djovokic’s opposition to COVID-19 vaccination could promote anti-vaccine views in Australia that would contradict national public health efforts.
 
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison approved of the court’s final decision. In a statement, Morrison said that the ruling would only help “keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe.”

Djokovic’s announcement that he had received a medical exemption to play in the Open was the source of backlash from many Australians, including medical professionals. With an Australian federal election looming, some commentators criticized Morrison and his government for making their decision to align with the strong public opposition to Djokovic’s exemption and boost their popularity. Canadian men’s tennis player Vasek Pospisil tweeted, “There was a political agenda at play here with the elections coming up, which couldn’t be more obvious. This is not [Novak’s] fault. He did not force his way into the country and did not ‘make his own rules’; he was ready to stay home.”

January 17

Few spectators to be allowed at Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Olympic organizers announce that no tickets will be sold to the public for upcoming Olympic and Paralympic events in Beijing. The decision to ban spectators was made due to the “grave and complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Organizers explain that small groups of specially selected individuals will instead be invited to attend events assuming they “strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event.” This decision overrules a previous announcement from the International Olympic Committee saying that tickets would only be sold to residents of mainland China.

January 19

Azarenka advocates for vaccine mandate across WTA events

Tennis player Victoria Azarenka, two-time Australian Open champion and a member of the Women’s Tennis Association Players’ Council, speaks out in favor of COVID vaccines being required to compete in WTA tour events. Azarenka told reporters at the Australian Open, “From my standpoint it’s been very clear. I believe in science.” She continued that she thinks having a tour-wide vaccine requirement would be “helpful for everybody in the world, especially when we are traveling internationally… Personally, for me, it’s not necessarily maybe about myself, it’s about other people. For me there is a social responsibility for other people who are much more vulnerable maybe than us. I definitely look at it from that point as well.”

January 27

False statements show how sports continue to be source of vaccine misinformation

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is a guest on conservative pundit Charlie Kirk’s talk show and claims that COVID vaccines are causing massive death, including “all these athletes dropping dead on the field.” Johnson’s false claims echo comments made by NBA Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, who falsely asserted that there were “over 100 professional athletes” who had died suddenly on the field of play. These claims were quickly debunked by outlets such as Politifact that concluded “there have been no official reports linking the vaccines to heart issues in athletes, and multiple sports cardiologists have called the claims unfounded.”

The falsehoods stated by Johnson and Stockton come only two months after a series of viral videos compiled footage of athletes fainting during competition and claimed that these episodes were caused by COVID vaccines. Snopes soon reported that the fainting spells shown in the video all happened in 2021, but “none of these incidents have been connected to the COVID-19 vaccine, other plausible explanations (such as dehydration or heat exhaustion) have been offered for these incidents, and a few of the clips in this video show athletes who were not vaccinated. There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine has resulted in an increase in fainting incidents.”

January 31

COVID cases rise in Beijing with Olympics set to begin

Two days before the Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin, organizers announce that they have so far detected 119 COVID cases most of whom are testing positive upon intake screening at the Beijing Airport. Meanwhile, case numbers continue to rise across Beijing, prompting abrupt neighborhood lockdowns that have confined residents to their homes. China’s strict COVID rules have kept case counts low throughout the pandemic, but experts are concerned that the more transmissible Omicron variant will evade the country’s domestic vaccines and spread rapidly through Beijing.

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FEBRUARY

February 4

Winter Olympics begin in Beijing

The Winter Olympics begin with the opening ceremony at Beijing’s National Stadium with all athletes wearing masks during the Parade of Nations. This Games open with Organizers announcing that 55 new COVID cases were detected the previous day among Olympic athletes and staff – 29 tested positive upon arrival at the Beijing airport and 26 positive tests were recorded among participants who had already entered the Olympic closed-loop system. This is the highest number of cases reported in a single day since athletes and officials began to arrive in January. Officials also reveal that 11 people at the Olympics have been hospitalized, but none are believed to be in serious or life-threatening condition.

Reports of prominent athletes testing positive have already began to surface as events are set to begin. Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova, and skeleton racers Nikita Tregubov and Vladislav Semyonov, were ruled out of competition due to positive COVID tests. Top women’s ski jumper Marita Kramer of Austria also announced that she will miss the Olympics after contracting COVID. Other athletes, such as American bobsledder and multiple Olympic medalist Elana Meyas Taylor, wait in hopes that they will recover from COVID infection in time to compete in events taking place later in the Olympic schedule.

International Olympic Committee medical panel chair Brian McCloskey tells media that he is “not worried” and expects that case numbers will flatten once all participants have arrived in China. He adds that there has been no evidence of community spread within the closed loop: “If we found evidence there was sustained community transmission, then we will activate our response plan, which then means more testing, tracing, isolating and a more aggressive approach to contact tracing. But we are nowhere near that level at present.”

February 6

Masks worn for Canada/ROC Olympic women’s hockey game

An Olympic women’s hockey game between Canada and the Russian Olympic Committee is played with all participants wearing KN-95 respirator masks. The decision to wear masks was made because the ROC team was experiencing a COVID outbreak with three players in isolation after positive tests. Both teams warmed up, but Canada refused to take the ice at the scheduled start time and wanted to wait for test results from all ROC players to be processed. Once it was clear that the test results would not be available in time for the game to be played that night, an agreement was made that both teams would wear masks.


When the remaining test results for the ROC came back negative at the end of the second period, the ROC players removed their masks but the Canadian team continued to wear them for game’s final period. Canadian forward Natalie Spooner explained after the game, which Canada won 6-1, “We figured we’ve already done it for two periods. Why not just keep being extra safe for one more period and make it through.”

Athletes in COVID isolation at Olympics voice concerns about living conditions

Athletes forced to isolate after testing COVID positive begin reporting inadequate conditions in the designated quarantine hotels. Athletes and officials criticize the accommodations for having small, unsanitary rooms, poor or no internet connections, inedible food, and no access to training equipment. Germany delegation head Dirk Schimmelpfennig called the living conditions “unreasonable” and demanded larger, more hygienic rooms and more regular food deliveries.

Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova posts a picture to Instagram of a meal that she says was “breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five days already.” The photo shows a plastic tray with plain pasta, charred meat, plain chicken, a few potatoes, and a red sauce. Vasnetsova writes, “I’ve lost a lot of weight and my bones are sticking out…I only eat three handfuls of pasta a day because it’s just impossible to eat the rest of the food.” She writes, “I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day.” Jukka Jalonen, coach of the Finnish men’s hockey team, reveals that player Marko Anttila is “not getting good food” and was experiencing severe mental stress while in isolation. He condemns the organizers for “not respecting Antilla’s human rights.”

Other athletes complain that they are given no information about their quarantine status and test results. “My heart can’t take it,” wrote Polish speedskater Natalia Maliszewska regarding the lack of communication, “I know a lot of people do not understand this situation. Positive and negative tests, tests confirming isolation, suddenly positive tests … Later, good results again.”
 
Many delegation members soon report that conditions improved following these public complaints with athletes being transferred to larger, cleaner rooms, receiving better food and internet access, and being provided with sufficient exercise equipment. 

February 8

Limited numbers of invited spectators able to attend Olympic events

Small groups of invited spectators are allowed to attend Olympic events, marking the first time that the closed-loop system has opened up beyond participants, officials, and staff. Huang Chun, the director of Beijing organizers’ pandemic prevention and control office, asserts that the COVID situation within the closed loop is “under control” with no reported cases among airport arrivals and only six new cases within the loop.

February 16

Beijing Olympics end

The Winter Olympics conclude in Beijing. The Games’ COVID surveillance programs detect 437 cases out of the over 1.9 million tests conducted since January 23 (60% of these cases were detected on airport screening before athletes entered the closed loop system). International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach calls the closed-loop system a “great success” and “one of the safest places on this planet, if not the safest”. Media commentators agree that the COVID protocols “worked” to contain Omicron spread – positive cases did not contribute to major disruptions in event schedules or outbreaks of severe illness. One expert in Time magazine was quoted affirming that these Olympics represented a “gold standard” for how to stage a COVID-safe international mega-event.

Yet some commentators also voiced concern about how these stringent measures detracted from the Games’ atmosphere and cultural resonance while also negatively impacting athletes and Chinese society. Christine Brennan wrote in USA Today, “The closed-loop fortress worked; COVID-19 did not explode and run rampant through the Games. But at what cost?” Brennan continues, “This wasn’t a joyous festival of sport; this was a forbidding fortress of separation.” Adam Kilgore expressed similar sentiments in the Washington Post, writing that the Olympics “cast a pall of pervasive joylessness.” He highlights the struggles of athletes who were required to isolate after testing positive and that even athletes who avoided isolation were shocked by how much the protocols limited their movements and interactions. Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris as saying, “Once we were here, it’s kind of like sports prison.”

Writers also shed light on how the 19,000 local volunteers who worked inside the closed loop and had to spend up to two months away from their families (which included undergoing a 21-day post-Games quarantine before they were allowed back into their communities). Reports also indicated that volunteers received “psychological training” to help them cope with their “mental state” while confined to the closed loop and missing Lunar New Year celebrations with their families.
 
In an article for The Guardian, Emma Graham-Harrison and Vincent Ni explain how the “closing off” of the Olympics to enact COVID protocols also eliminated any possibility for public protest against China’s human rights abuses – including the mass persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, its history of maltreatment of Tibetans, and the constraining of freedoms in Hong Kong. The lack of opportunities for protest, plus Chinese state media’s censorship of negative stories or international criticisms, allowed the government to project a “clean image” of the game to Chinese citizens.

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MARCH

March 4

Paralympics begin in Beijing

The event is set to take place within the same “closed loop” system used for the Olympics the previous month. Once again, all athletes are masked as they enter the Olympic stadium during the Parade of Nations. Yet COVID concerns are largely overshadowed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine that launched between the Olympics and Paralympics. After many sports governing bodies began forbidding Russian athletes from competing in international events, the International Paralympic Committee banned all athletes from Russia and its military ally Belarus from competing in Beijing. The Ukrainian Paralympic Team is still able to participate, and a theme of peace dominates the opening ceremony.

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