Olympic Althetes Concerned About Beijing's Air Pollution
Should I run behind a bus and breathe in the exhaust? Should I train on the highway during rush hour? Is there any way to acclimate myself to pollution?
Randy Wilber, an exercise physiologist for the US Olympic Committee, has answered these questions with a resounding "No." Wilber is advising American Olympians not to arrive in Beijing until the last possible moment, the New York Times reports.
Athletes may also wear special air filtration masks every moment they are not competing. Chinese authorities have vowed the skies will be blue by the time the first Olympians arrive in Beijing, and plan to close factories and limit car traffic during the Games, but some Olympic teams aren't taking any chances. On a typical day, air pollution exceeds the World Health Organization's standard for safety by as much as five times.
One thing's for sure: the Olympics will be a welcome respite for this Beijing resident, who on some days finds herself breathless and wheezing after just running across the street!
Comments
That is an amazingly STUPID theory. If athletes from Canada and the U.S. did this, they would indefinitely LOSE. they need to acclimatize themselves to Beijing’s weather, not the opposite. Athletes need to train in a polluted environment at least 8 months prior to the games, and travel to Beijing at least 2 months before the games. If they do not do so, the extreme amount of pollution in Beijing will greatly affect their performance, giving them shortness of breath and heat exhaustion. I don’t know WHO this quack is that is telling it otherwise, but he needs to get his head out of his ASS and get an education. Honestly, the grade 8 science class I’m in knows more than he does, and yet he still has a job. I find that truly appalling. And they say teenagers are ignorant..
I can’t agree more….it’s a stupid artical…by the way , the government and its citizens should try their best to take some measures…
I think the air in beijing is clear than sydney. I had live in beijing for 6 years.
there is not such air polution at all. is there anybody came to beijing?
art-arts.org
I live a large part of the year in Beijing, and I find the ‘pollution issue’ to be vastly exaggerated. The smog is worse in Los Angeles than in BJ, and Paris does not smell good either.