Beijing Olympic village opens under a cloak of smog

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News

Beijing's Olympic village, built to house 16,000 athletes from around the world, was officially opened on Sunday, but the air quality didn't co-operate.

Despite drastic measures to cut pollution, the ceremonies were overshadowed by the familiar Beijing smog, the CBC's Steve Futterman reports.

The government hopes there will be a noticeable change before the games begin 12 days from now, exposing the lungs of some of the world's finest athletes to the city's air.

But it is hard to see a difference a week after officials imposed restrictions that took nearly half the cars off the road, Futterman said.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/07/27/beijing-smog.html

---

Just ignore it. Turn off the TV and it will quickly go away.

[Kolesar]

1. Athletes asked their trainers if they should run behind a bus to train for competing in Bejing

...an anecdote from an NPR news story.

[mbperrin]

2. Perhaps all those "clean" coal

advocates in this country would like to rethink a bit.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Wait until athletes start dropping out.

China is on the cusp of losing much face. Perhaps that is what they need, to address their pollution issues.

[Eugene]

4. Reuters: Beijing looks to more drastic pollution cuts

Source: Reuters

Beijing looks to more drastic pollution cuts
Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:49am EDT

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - Haze-shrouded Beijing could
restrict more cars and shut more factories if air
pollution persists during the Olympic Games, a
report said on Monday, as an environmental group
said endurance athletes could face problems.

Beijing has ordered many cars off roads and halted
much construction and factory production in an
effort to cut smog before the Games open on
August 8.

But the city has still endured hazy skies over the
past week, and again on Monday, raising fears that
the sultry heat Beijing often experiences in August
could make for a cocktail of haze, fumes and dust
for tens of thousands of athletes and visitors.

-snip-

"More vehicles could go off the roads and all
construction sites and some more factories in
Beijing and its neighboring areas could be closed
temporarily if the capital's air quality deteriorates
during the Olympic Games," the China Daily said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSPEK2295520080728

[salin]

5. Wonder if junior will even notice

[depakid]

6. From the SMH- Choker rule: Aussies can pull out of Games

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/07/28/bjsmog1_narrowweb__300x410,0.jpg

Australian athletes have been given permission to withdraw from any events at the Beijing Olympic Games if they feel their health is compromised by the thick pollution that hangs over the city.

Australian deputy chef de mission Peter Montgomery said such a scenario was unlikely, given that athletes had spent the past 10 years preparing for the Olympic Games. But he wanted to reassure team members that there would be no repercussions if they withdrew because of the pollution.

The Ethiopian marathon champion Haile Gebresalassie has already withdrawn from the marathon to concentrate on shorter events because he suffers from asthma. "We won't be pressing them if that unlikely event arose," Montgomery said.

Beijing has been cloaked in pollution for the past month and pollution levels have been at their highest in the past week - ironically ever since the authorities introduced strict new measures to try and improve the air quality. These include shutting down polluting industries nearby and introducing an odds and evens system for car users.

More: http://www.smh.com.au/news/off-the-field/smog-and-the-olympics-athletes-can-pull-out/2008/07/28/1217097120607.html

[Occulus]

9. Eerie. I just watched that episode of the new "Doctor Who"

Season 4, episode 5- "The Poison Sky". Beijing looks just like London and other major cities from that episode.

Creepy.

[David__77]

7. China will get Beijing cleaned up soon.

They will simply shut all the factories in the region if need be. They do this when they want to. I hope the games are a success.

[WriteDown]

10. Why on Earth would you hope for this?

China needs a serious wakeup call when it comes to their rampant pollution. I hope the games are a disaster.

[David__77]

11. China has received that wake-up call already.

Its leaders are well aware that pollution is not only affecting people's health, but also is beginning to negatively affect economic growth. In this way, the premium (value) placed on environmental controls increases. The problem is that it's always been exceedingly difficult to locally implement central decisions in China. Contrary to popular view, China is little like the old Soviet Union, with its strong central planning controls. Even under Mao, local power was always decentralized. Local leaders are still placing all emphasis on more, more, more output, without understanding that balanced growth is the best growth.

[snooper2]

8. All I can Say is ...

:rofl:

:rofl:

:rofl:

:rofl:

Lipstick

:rofl:

:rofl:

Pig

:rofl:

:rofl:

Will the Real China Please stand up?


:evilgrin:




GOBAMA!

[dysfunctional press]

12. it'll be exciting to see which government officials are executed over the smoggy olympics...

when they say "heads will roll"...they usually mean it literally.

[Habibi]

13. That's really unfortunate.

I just got back from a trip to Beijing (and Shanghai, after) and the city has gone crazy with Olympic fever. Beautification projects all over the place, lots of pretty flowers everywhere, Beijing is putting on its nicest duds and residents are tremendously excited and proud.

The pollution is rough. My eyes burned and itched just about every day there, though I didn't have respiratory problems, fortunately. I can't imagine a world-class athlete competing in that.