The IOC said the same number of other "Games participants" at Beijing 2022, set to open on February 4, will also have been vaccinated.

The organisation has not revealed the exact figure, but claimed it could be confident nearly every athlete would have received a COVID-19 vaccine because "only people who are fully vaccinated or with a valid medical exemption from the Medical Expert Panel can directly access the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 closed loop".

Those who are not vaccinated must spend 21 days in quarantine before entering the closed loop, put in place by Chinese authorities and the IOC to reduce the risk posed by the novel coronavirus.

Once within the loop, people will undergo daily testing for COVID-19 and will be unable to access the outside world for the duration of their time in Beijing.

Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer, who won parallel giant slalom gold at Sochi 2014, has publicly confirmed she is not vaccinated and will enter the three-week quarantine before joining the closed loop.

Seven Russian figure skaters at the Games will also not have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as they are under the age of 18, but will still avoid the quarantine period.

Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov claimed in November that his organisation had been told by the IOC and Beijing 2022 the three-week quarantine did not apply to competitors below that age.

It is likely there are dozens of athletes at Beijing 2022 under the age of 18 and will have subsequently not received a COVID-19 vaccine.

The IOC has encouraged athletes to get vaccinated but has not made it a mandatory requirement to compete at the Games.

Beijing 2022 has insisted the event will go ahead as planned despite the emergence of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19.

China today reported its first known case of the variant, while more than 20 million people in the country are in lockdown because of rising infection rates.

Michael Ryan, emergencies director for the World Health Organization, said it was "confident" in the coronavirus prevention measures implemented by Beijing 2022 organisers and did not foresee any increased risk of transmission.

The IOC this week outlined additional measures those heading to the Games should adhere to, including avoiding "all crowded places" - such as bars and restaurants - five days prior to travelling.

insidethegames has contacted the IOC for further clarification.