Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

No House of Switzerland at China Winter Olympics

Man walks past House of Switzerland sign in the snow
The House of Switzerland pavilion has been a regular feature at many international events. © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Switzerland has cancelled plans to erect a marketing and meeting venue in Beijing at the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in light of expected Covid-19 restrictions.

The Swiss foreign ministry had already been forced to mothball plans to host a House of Switzerland public pavilion at the summer Olympics in Tokyo earlier this year.

“In view of the uncertainties surrounding the format of the event in China and anticipated measures in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic, [Switzerland] has decided to forgo a physical presence in the form of the House of Switzerland,” the foreign ministry stated on ThursdayExternal link.

“Stopping the current project will reduce Switzerland’s spending from CHF4.7 million [$5.1 million] to CHF1.3 million and is therefore fully in keeping with the financial interests of the Confederation.”

The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games is due to be staged in Beijing from February 4-20 next year.

Athletes and entourages will be confined to a pandemic bubble during the event and will only be allowed to enter without quarantine if they are vaccinated.

China’s borders remain largely closed to outsiders as the global pandemic shows no signs of going away. In an effort to contain recent outbreaks, Beijing has increased restrictions, ramped up border checks and cancelled many international flights.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR