OLYMPICS WEB GUIDES
OLYMPICS FEATURE ARTICLES
LATEST BEIJING OLYMPICS NEWS
Olympians Prepare for Beijing's Air Pollution
by
findingDulcinea Staff
As the Olympics draw near, athletes are worried about the impact the poor air quality in Beijing will have on their performance.
30-Second Summary
Mr. Randy Wilber, lead physiologist for the United States Olympic Committee, is tasked with assisting Olympians train effectively as well as safely.
“If they thought locking themselves in the garage with the car running would help them win a gold medal, I’m sure they would do it. Our job, obviously, is to prevent that,” said Wilber.
Wilber is encouraging all Olympians to wear a mask over their nose and mouth from the time they land in Beijing until they are about to compete.
World-record marathon runner, Haile Gebrselassie, has told reporters he might have to skip the marathon event in favor of a shorter distance at the Olympics because of the air pollution.
In April 2007, an international environmental team announced it had produced an Environmental Protection Agency-funded report on the poor air quality in Beijing.
Steve Page, director of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards, said, "Typical industrial, coal-burning cities within several hundred kilometers of Beijing add to the local pollution. In these areas, emission controls on stationary sources and vehicles are not as stringent as in Beijing, and emissions are high.”
The 2008 Olympics will run from Aug. 8–24.
“If they thought locking themselves in the garage with the car running would help them win a gold medal, I’m sure they would do it. Our job, obviously, is to prevent that,” said Wilber.
Wilber is encouraging all Olympians to wear a mask over their nose and mouth from the time they land in Beijing until they are about to compete.
World-record marathon runner, Haile Gebrselassie, has told reporters he might have to skip the marathon event in favor of a shorter distance at the Olympics because of the air pollution.
In April 2007, an international environmental team announced it had produced an Environmental Protection Agency-funded report on the poor air quality in Beijing.
Steve Page, director of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards, said, "Typical industrial, coal-burning cities within several hundred kilometers of Beijing add to the local pollution. In these areas, emission controls on stationary sources and vehicles are not as stringent as in Beijing, and emissions are high.”
The 2008 Olympics will run from Aug. 8–24.
Headline Links: Olympians prepare for Beijing Air
“If they thought locking themselves in the garage with the car running would help them win a gold medal, I’m sure they would do it. Our job, obviously, is to prevent that,” explains lead physiologist for the United States Olympic Committee Mr. Randy Wilber.
Source: The New York Times
World-record marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie, who is afflicted with a breathing condition, is concerned about the air quality in Beijing. He explained to reporters on Jan. 18 that he might have to skip the marathon race at the Olympics. "If things are like that [still heavily polluted] I would try to run a different distance, instead of the marathon," Gebrselassie said.
Source: ESPN
Related Links: China’s air polustion; Nike creates clothes for Beijing conditions
The Wall Street Journal questions the accuracy of China’s calculation of its Air Pollution Index (API), released in early January 2008, which reports an improvement in air quality since 1998. The Journal argues that the latest calculations have been tweaked to produce the results that Beijing wants.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Improving air quality in Beijing
In April 2007, an international environmental team produced a report on the poor air quality in Beijing. Steve Page, director of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards, stated, "Typical industrial, coal-burning cities within several hundred kilometers of Beijing add to the local pollution. In these areas, emission controls on stationary sources and vehicles are not as stringent as in Beijing, and emissions are high." Page also stated that Beijing officials were working to reduce emissions and increase environmental controls.
Source: Science Daily
EPA funded report
Air quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is available online through the Argonne National Laboratory Web site.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory
Nike prepares clothes for Beijing conditions
The Nike Sports Research Lab in Oregon is preparing and testing Olympic clothing for the Beijing Olympics by creating Beijing-like conditions: 95 degrees Fahrenheit with 40 percent humidity.
Source: Forbes
Reference: Olympic news and guides
Beijing 2008 provides news on next summer’s games. The reports are divided into categories, including Olympic Dynamics, which features articles charting Beijing’s progress and transformation leading up to the big event. The site contains official press releases, sports news, and happenings in the Olympic cities, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Source: Beijing 2008
The official site of the Olympic Movement has a section devoted to news. It carries articles and archives concerning sporting events as well as press releases and live results. The Olympic Review, an IOC publication, is also available to download. You can access the IOC and international sports calendars as well.
Source: Olympic Movement
findingDulcinea carries a comprehensive and regularly updated 2008 Olympics guide.
Source: findingDulcinea
Most Recent Beyond The Headlines
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
