Athletes safe in Beijing air for up to an hour: IOC - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Athletes safe in Beijing air for up to an hour: IOC
Wed Apr 2, 2008 4:52am EDT

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee
scientists have proved that Beijing's air will present
no health risk to athletes competing for up to an hour
at the 2008 Games, IOC chief inspector Hein Verbruggen
said on Wednesday.

Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world
and despite a 120 billion yuan ($17.12 billion) clean-up
over the last decade, pollution remains a concern for
many athletes coming to the Olympics, already a
lightning rod for rights protests worldwide.

Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC coordination commission,
said there was a small risk for athletes in longer events
on the worst-polluted days but the IOC had plans to
reschedule events should the worst occur.

"The Chinese together with our medical commission have
done an excellent job," the Dutchman told Reuters on
the sidelines of the final inspection of preparations for
the August 8-24 Games.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSPEK8843220080402

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Wow! Not a whole HOUR!!?!!?!

What a total farce.

[liberal N proud]

2. The games are 16 days.

Unless they plan on staying somewhere else and flying in just for their event, they will be exposed for much more than an hour.

[gear_head]

3. how much pollution is 'safe'?

pay no attention to the clean air blower
aimed at the official Chinese delegation

[crikkett]

4. Wow. K & R

[trof]

5. OK, I want the bottled O2 concession.

I'll clean up!
;-)

[YankeyMCC]

6. I know this is part (at least) jest

and a good one :)

But your post really does go to the heart of the matter in one sense doesn't it? The corporate elite pollute the commons (the ecology we all share) and then make more money by selling 'healthy' components of the destroyed environment - like clean air, clean water, etc...

[Summer93]

7. Agree w/you YankeyMCC

I don't see any single person discovering/inventing a new way these days. It is all patented by the corporations and it seems to stifle innovation IMHO.

[trof]

9. Too true. It's the American way.

:-(

[truebrit71]

8. So the marathon competitors are screwed....

....What a joke this is...

[Javaman]

10. Good thing that Kenyan dropped out. he knew. nt

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

11. He's Ethiopian not Kenyan

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/03/10/haile-gebrselassie-wont-run-olympic-marathon-cites-beijing-pol/

[Javaman]

12. Whooops! My bad. nt