The figure was announced during a presentation given by the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee at the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) 139th Session today.

Tickets for the Games will not be sold publicly, with a special scheme in place instead to invite spectators to events.

Spectators will only be present at events in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

There will be no spectators allowed to attend competitions in Yanqing, the venue for Alpine skiing and sliding sports events at the Games.

"Each venue will have half spectators from inside the closed loop and the other half from outside the closed loop," the Beijing 2022 presentation said.

"The spectators from inside the closed loop will consist mainly of members of the Olympic family, NOC delegations, athletes, media, representatives and broadcasters.

"The number of spectators from outside the loop will be about 150,000 in total [about half of the available seats].

"Mainly including international friends residing in China’s mainland, members of diplomatic missions and marketing partners, winter sports enthusiasts, local residents, primary and middle school students.

"The spectator base will be as extensive and diversified as possible."

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said earlier this week that spectator capacity would be taken on a venue-by-venue basis.

The presence of spectators at Beijing 2022 has been uncertain in the build-up to the Games, particularly following the emerge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

A "closed-loop management system" has been implemented by Beijing 2022 to ensure Games participants are separated from the local population.

China has imposed a "zero-COVID" strategy in response to the global pandemic, but cases have emerged in the build-up to the Games.