Olympics-Ski resorts to close from Jan. 4 in preparation for Beijing Games

FILE PHOTO: A staff member moves a barrier at the Thaiwoo ski resort near skiing venues of the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chongli district of Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China, October 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BEIJING (Reuters) - The city hosting most of the skiing and snowboarding events in the Beijing Winter Olympics will close its ski resorts to tourists from Jan. 4 to allow for preparations and the smooth running of the Games that begin a month later, a local government notice said on Thursday.

Zhangjiakou, around 200 km (124 miles) northwest of the Chinese capital in Hebei province, will play host to the cross-country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon and snowboarding competitions in its Chongli district during the Winter Olympics, which take place from Feb. 4-20.

It will also stage events during the Winter Paralympics in March.

There will be "precise controls" in Chongli from Jan. 4 until March 30 and its ski resorts will not accept tourists over that period, Zhangjiakou's culture and tourism bureau said on its official WeChat account.

Scenic spots in other districts will be open as normal but visitors to Zhangjiakou will need to show proof on arrival of a negative coronavirus test within the previous 48 hours, the bureau added.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; writing by Tom Daly; Editing by Toby Davis)