Leeriness Of Beijing Venue Growing Rapidly Among Endurance Athletes - Mercury News

OSAKA, Japan—Athletes will have a tricky choice next year if Beijing's polluted air doesn't improve in time for the Olympics: stay away as long as possible, or come in early and get used to it. "We know how to train for heat and humidity, but not a lot of research has been done on running in the polluted atmosphere we think we'll find in Beijing," Kyle O'Brien, an American marathoner who ran at the track and field world championship in Osaka, said Tuesday.

Therein, lies the problem. Air pollution levels in China's capital are nearly five times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended safety level. A mix of major pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are common. Sulfate and carbon also float regularly in the air.

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Some teams have promised to stay away until the last moment. The most prominent so far is Australia, which is planning to send a medical staff of 80 to deal with heat, humidity and pollution, about one for every six athletes. "It will be hot and humid and the pollution is high," said Dr. Juan Manuel Alonso, chairman of the IAAF medical and anti-doping commission. "It wouldn't be good to compete in that, but I'm confident the air quality will be fine." Obviously, endurance athletes take in more air and feel the most threatened, but even sprinters are worried.

David Gillick, the Irish 400-meter record holder, said he'd stay away as long as possible at a camp Ireland plans to set up in Japan. "There's no scientific proof if you go in and spend two weeks there it will be beneficial," he said. "Or maybe it will work against us. Will we get sick? Will we just keel over with it? I think a lot of people are going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's not going to be ideal, but what do you do?" "I'd like to stay away," Gillick added. "Just come in two days beforehand and go for it. We're in sprint events. I think it's a different story for endurance athletes."

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http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingsports/ci_6741636?nclick_check=1

Hopefully, the International Olympic Committee will take the health issues being raised for 2008 into consideration when naming future host cities.

A few years ago, we befriended a Chinese woman married to a Lebanese man in our housing development.

I was startled to find out that the Chinese woman friend REFUSED to have sex with her husband while they were visiting Beijing for a month or two. She felt that even that level of exposure might injure the fetus, should she actually conceive while there.

She has two healthy children now, so it's a moot point, but this article started me wondering what the birth defect rate is over there.

I also figure it will be the distance events, but who knows? I can see the color-commentator coverage of it now. The quick-and-dirty biographical of the athlete in question, with piano music, and fuzzy-border camera work...

"Pollution and Lead Paint Quarterly" as well!

:toast:

It doesn't appear to be effecting them.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

I didn't think so.

And how dare I even suggest the thought.

There's going to be a whole lot of research over the next year about the kind of damage particulates can do to healthy lungs and I doubt many of these young people will want to take the risk.

Yes, giving a summer Olympics to China was a mistake, but I'm sure the selection committee was well compensated, as usual.

My health would be far more important than some bullshit boner of glory for that country.