Posted July 29, 200816 yr The area where the games will take place failed the government's own smog targets today, even as officials opened the Olympic Village with great fanfare. The air was "unhealthy for sensitive groups," the city's environmental protection bureau said. The official targets are themselves much looser than those considered "safe" by the World Health Organisation. "It doesn't really look so good," said Gunilla Lindberg, the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee. "The day I arrived, Tuesday, was awful. We try to be hopeful. Hopefully we are lucky during the games as we were with Atlanta, Athens and Barcelona." Partly because of the pollution, several national teams are conducting their final preparations away from Beijing, including the British. But other athletes have begun arriving at the Olympic Village. From this complex, the main stadia were invisible, thanks to the city's haze. Nonetheless, Du Shaozhong, the environmental bureau's deputy director, said conditions were 20 per cent better than during the equivalent period last year. But he admitted that the lack of wind, a common feature of July weather, was preventing the dispersal of the haze. Source: Sunday Telegraph Will the conditions be dangerous for the athletes? Will it spoil the games, with smog hanging in the air?
July 30, 200816 yr I remember making a comment about this on another "Beijing" thread... It really disgusts me the way that these people made a COMMITMENT to sort out the pollution problem to the IOC and have done practically bugger all about it.... <_< Yeh, gonna be great innit, to potentially see the sight of Marathon runners in the streets of Beijing wearing bloody FACE-MASKS..... <_< This on top of the whole Tibet thing and the general lack of freedom for the Chinese people as a whole just makes the country a totally unsuitable place to hold such an egalitarian sporting event....
July 30, 200816 yr i dont blame the IOC scott, the smog isnt their problem to clean up.. its disgraceful, but a decent wind would cure the problem (well blow the sh1t somewhere else), no wind = very unhealthy air, hardly condusive for highly toned athletes.. i can see complaints.
July 30, 200816 yr oh lord... they are issuing red coloured contact lenses to prevent the brightness of the smog effecting their eyes.
July 30, 200816 yr i dont blame the IOC scott, the smog isnt their problem to clean up.. its disgraceful, but a decent wind would cure the problem (well blow the sh1t somewhere else), no wind = very unhealthy air, hardly condusive for highly toned athletes.. i can see complaints. I wasn't blaming the IOC, I was complaining about the fact that the Chinese made a promise to the IOC to clean up the pollution (which was one of the conditions of them getting the games in the first place mate....) which they have failed to do... All very well to blame the lack of wind, but the facts remain that they made a commitment to the IOC and have not honoured it.... For this, and other reasons China dont deserve the Olympics, it's that simple.... And never mind complaints, I can honestly see athletes collapsing out of shortness of breath, it'll be a MAJOR problem for the marathon runners.....
July 30, 200816 yr ^ as usual grimly youre completley correct. china are completley undeserving of these games and a promise is a promise which should be honoured. the athletes are gonna face major problems, as you pointed out, and i bet the IOC and Chinese Government dont do a bluddy thing about it <_<
July 30, 200816 yr And never mind complaints, I can honestly see athletes collapsing out of shortness of breath, it'll be a MAJOR problem for the marathon runners..... oh i fully agree... if air pressure remains high and settled, there will be problems for some, especially those that train at high altitude (like paula radcliffe) who are used to clean, fresh, air. hell i know what it used to be like going into a smokey pub! :lol:
July 30, 200816 yr You don't blame the IOC? I completely blame the IOC. Picking China was really a "what were you thinking" moment. Terrible civil rights and awful pollution. You would think that they would have thought about some of this cr*p before they gave them the okay. Oh, and now China has a list of things not to ask foreigners. I hope some of them ignore it and actually learn about something without censorship.
July 30, 200816 yr The smog is desperate. Here we are trying to make the planet a better place and then everybody in China decides to get into their cars. It's one step forward, five steps back when it comes to that. China shouldn't have gotten the Games. It was a stupid decision. IMO, Toronto should have it. :rolleyes:
July 30, 200816 yr http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00542/SNF30SMOG01-682_542037a.jpg How the hell could a country hold any sporting event in that, ^ let alone the Olympics!! I wouldn't run in that.
July 31, 200816 yr You don't blame the IOC? I completely blame the IOC. Picking China was really a "what were you thinking" moment. Terrible civil rights and awful pollution. You would think that they would have thought about some of this cr*p before they gave them the okay. Oh, and now China has a list of things not to ask foreigners. I hope some of them ignore it and actually learn about something without censorship. I have to fully agree with this... But the Chinese made all sorts of promises though, so in many ways the Chinese authorities totally misled the IOC... Still, the IOC really should've known better and given the Games to someone else, Japan, India or South Korea perhaps if they wanted to give it to an Asian country...
July 31, 200816 yr http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00542/SNF30SMOG01-682_542037a.jpg How the hell could a country hold any sporting event in that, ^ let alone the Olympics!! I wouldn't run in that. Spot on Josh... And it's precisely on these sorts of roads that the Olympic Marathon will be run... Yeah, run through 26 miles of choking, smog-filled streets..... <_< That's not gonna cause a lot of damage to the lungs of athletes....
July 31, 200816 yr The whole event being awarded by the IOC to China is the biggest joke/travesty in the history of sports politics. One thing is certain, I wont be watching any of this year's Olympics coverage.
July 31, 200816 yr I have to fully agree with this... But the Chinese made all sorts of promises though, so in many ways the Chinese authorities totally misled the IOC... Still, the IOC really should've known better and given the Games to someone else, Japan, India or South Korea perhaps if they wanted to give it to an Asian country... Well, they had Osaka - but they were the first to go. Apparently, Beijing's bid was outshone technically by the Parisian and Torontonian bids. (Mind you, Doha's big for 2016 was better than Rio's, yet the Brazilian city went through.) Also, all those protests about their treatment of Tibet - I said that was gonna happen in 2001, when they were awarded the Games. Edited July 31, 200816 yr by DitzyNizzy
July 31, 200816 yr I'm not that much of an athlete, so I don't really know how things work, but it seems to me like the Chinese will have an unfair advantage. They have been running in similar pollution for all their lives and are probably used to it by now. I'm sure those athletes from less polluted areas of China were also brought to Beijing to have time to adjust.
July 31, 200816 yr I'm not that much of an athlete, so I don't really know how things work, but it seems to me like the Chinese will have an unfair advantage. They have been running in similar pollution for all their lives and are probably used to it by now. I'm sure those athletes from less polluted areas of China were also brought to Beijing to have time to adjust. That's my sentiments exactly. China will clean up at the Olympics. Sucks really, as they have an unfair advantage.
July 31, 200816 yr Bloody pathetic it is!, I've even read reports about how athletes may have to run in oxygen masks! :blink:
August 1, 200816 yr The whole event being awarded by the IOC to China is the biggest joke/travesty in the history of sports politics. One thing is certain, I wont be watching any of this year's Olympics coverage. Me neither mate, I'm not going to dignify this farce.... And for people who bang on about "oh, let's keep the politics out of the Olympics"... Impossible... The whole THING is politicized like it or not, when a city/country puts in a bid, it's 100% Politically motivated because they're looking to raise their image and reputation, and it's ALWAYS politicians, whether local or national, that are the ones doing the biggest "sell".... The decisions that the IOC makes are Politically motivated too....
August 1, 200816 yr Move it to Northern Siberia :P But there's smog problems all over the world, but yes they should of done something about it; they had 6 years. But its very easy to point out the problems, but remember the disasters that were avoided, though i'm not saying that its alright for this to happen.
August 3, 200816 yr Move it to Northern Siberia :P But there's smog problems all over the world, but yes they should of done something about it; they had 6 years. But its very easy to point out the problems, but remember the disasters that were avoided, though i'm not saying that its alright for this to happen. Take away the smog, you've still got the subjugation and oppression of Tibet, the ruthless way in which the Chinese Govt treats anyone who utters even ONE WORD of dissent, complete lack of freedom.. Oh, and a report I was reading last night, even Foreign JOURNALISTS are being restricted from accessing certain Websites..... This Olympics is a fukkin' DISGRACE.... Shame on the IOC.....
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