Live coverage: Day 3 of the Beijing Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics continued in Beijing on Sunday with a number of events.

The Games are facing a number of difficulties as the United States has led a number of countries in diplomatic boycotts over China’s human rights record and COVID-19 has caused obstacles for athletes hoping to compete.

The Hill has the live coverage of day two.

Peng Shuai held private meeting with Olympic committee chief in Beijing

11:10 p.m.

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) met in Beijing this weekend with Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis player who accused an official of sexual abuse before largely disappearing from public life.

In a statement, the IOC said it’s president, Thomas Bach, met in person with Peng Shuai “on Saturday over dinner at the Olympic Club in Beijing.”

“Peng Shuai spoke of her disappointment at not being able to qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. In this context, she also shared her intention to travel to Europe when the COVID-19 pandemic is over,” the IOC said, noting that Peng had accepted an invitation to Lausanne, Switzerland to visit the IOC and The Olympic Museum.

The statement also said that Peng would remain in touch with Kirsty Coventry, an IOC member who was also present at the meeting — adding that the two attended a mixed doubles curling match between China and Norway together.

Read the full story here

Olympic organizers promise to address isolation conditions amid complaints

9:56 p.m.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is vowing to address and improve conditions following complaints from  athletes who have had to isolate due to positive COVID-19 tests, The Associated Press reports. 

Christophe Dubi, the IEC’s executive director, called it a “duty” and “responsibility” to make sure athletes are provided with adequate conditions.

“These are exactly the kind of things we have to address,” he said. “We have to make sure that the expectations are met.”

Several athletes have slammed the poor conditions in Beijing’s quarantine hotels, including a lack of edible food.

Read the full story here

Chinese social media slams figure skater after last-place performance

11:00 a.m.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday said China’s decision to have a Uyghur athlete help deliver the Olympic flame in the opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Games was an effort “to distract us from the real issue at hand that Uyghur’s are being tortured.”

“This is an effort by the Chinese to distract us from the real issue here at hand that Uyghurs are being tortured, and Uyghurs are the victims of human rights violations by the Chinese. And we have to keep that front and center,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told co-anchor Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The 2022 Winter Olympics began in Beijing on Friday, when China chose a Uyghur athlete to help light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony.

— Mychael Schnell

Olympic organizer not expecting more large fluctuations in COVID-19 cases

9:05 a.m.

An Olympic organizer said he is not expecting more large fluctuations in COVID-19 cases as fewer people arrive in Beijing for the Winter Games.

Huang Chun, the Games’ deputy director-general of the office of pandemic and control, said the number of positive COVID-19 cases increased as more people arrived in Beijing for the event, but that trend has dropped after the opening ceremony.

Huang said there will likely be fewer COVID-19 cases with fewer inbound flights.

“After the opening ceremony on Friday there is a drop in arrivals and we have even less inbound flights, which means there will be fewer positive cases,” Huang said, according to Reuters.

“We hope that we can keep that trend going and there might be just minor fluctuations,” he added.

— Mychael Schnell