This included activities conducted virtually as well as in-person visits to the Organising Committee's headquarters and Shougang Park, which will stage the big air events in the Chinese capital, as reported by the official state-run news agency Xinhua.

Informing participants about the progress made on preparations for the Games was high on the agenda for the exchange camp.

Recent developments include the beginning of the snowmaking process for Alpine skiing events, which is expected to be completed in mid-January,

All 12 competition venues were completed and approved by International Federations at an International Olympic Committee Executive Board meeting in November.

Xinhua quoted a Moroccan student from Beijing Sport University, Abdelaziz Larroussi, who claimed to be excited for the Games after taking part in the exchange camp.

"Although winter snowfall in Morocco is rare, I really enjoy winter sports," Larroussi commented.

"I hope to see more ice and snow events and a better performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics."

Another participant Temelidi Yulia, a Russian student at Tsinghua University who will volunteer as an interpreter at the Beijing National Stadium during the Games, added: "I'm very honoured to witness the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

"I think under the current global epidemic, it is not easy to hold the Beijing Winter Olympics as scheduled, so I'm looking forward to the Winter Olympics even more."

COVID-19 has proved one of the major talking points in the build-up to Beijing 2022, with China's "zero-COVID" policy representing some of the world's most stringent restrictions.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian recently admitted the emergence of the Omicron variant would "pose some challenge to our efforts to prevent and control the virus", but said he was confident that the Games would proceed as planned.

Foreign spectators have already been banned from Beijing 2022, while athletes and other Games personnel will be required to enter a "closed-loop management system" upon arrival.

If they are vaccinated they will not have to quarantine, but will be tested regularly.

The host country's record on human rights - particularly in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong - has also come under scrutiny, with the United States Government confirming yesterday that it will stage a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

In Xinjiang, China has been accused of using forced Uyghur labour, operating a mass surveillance programme, detaining thousands in internment camps, carrying out forced sterilisations and intentionally destroying Uyghur heritage.

Beijing claims the camps are training centres designed to stamp out Islamist extremism and separatism, and denies the charges laid against it.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled for February 4 to 20, with the Winter Paralympics following from March 4 to 13.