CHINA:BEIJING'S OLYMPIC organisers yesterday sought to reassure the world that the capital's air would be clean during the August games after Ethiopian athlete Haile Gebrselassie said that he would not compete in the marathon because of concerns about pollution.
Zhang Lijun, deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said that he had full confidence in anti-pollution plans drawn up for the capital and five surrounding provinces.
"Our experts predicted the standard of air quality can be guaranteed and the commitment we made could be fulfilled after this plan is realised," he told a briefing at China's annual parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC).
Gebrselassie (35), who holds the world record for the marathon and has won the Olympic 10,000 metres race twice, suffers from exercise-induced asthma and decided not to run the 42-kilometre (26-mile) race on medical advice. He will still attempt to qualify for the 10,000 metres.
Based on day-to-day evidence in the capital, it certainly seems as if the air has improved considerably in recent months, with more blue skies and fewer days of yellow-tinged smog.
The government has implemented numerous measures to curb the smog, including relocating some of the most polluting factories in the city, such as Capital Steelworks.
Last year International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said that endurance events such as the marathon or distance cycling could be rescheduled if the air did not improve. Many athletes have complained about air quality in the city.
Mr Zhang said that government plans to reduce pollution and "adjust the industrial structure" were largely completed and would be fully finished by the end of June.
City authorities have said they will implement a number of measures to make sure that the air stays clear during the games. Private cars will be allowed to take to the streets only on alternate days, depending on whether they have odd or even licence numbers. Factories and some coal-burning power plants will have to rein in production during the games.
The government has spent 120 billion yuan (€11 billion) on measures to improve the environment and has implemented further contingency plans in recent months.
Pollution has been a problem at many Olympics. Mexico City in 1968 and Los Angeles in 1984 were both known for their poor-quality air. At the St Louis Olympics in 1904 a marathon runner almost died after inhaling too much coal dust in the air.