The marathon world record-holder said yesterday that he was unlikely to
compete at the Beijing Olympics because China’s air pollution would damage
his health.
The Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, 34, is a favourite for a gold medal this
summer but is likely to focus instead on the 10,000 metres because he
suffers from asthma.
“The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for
me to run 42km in my current condition,” he said. “But I am not pulling out
of the Olympics altogether.”
Jos Hermens, his agent, added that Gebrselassie, who has lung problems and a
pollen allergy, did not want to damage his chances in the marathon at the
London Games in 2012 and would confirm his decision next month once he was
assured of a place in the 10,000 metres.
Dube Jillo, the technical director of the Ethiopian Athletic Federation, said:
“Whether he runs in the marathon or 10,000 metres would be his own choice.”
Gebrselassie’s withdrawal would heighten concerns that Beijing’s notorious
smog will not be cleared in time for the Games in August, when the weather
in the city is at its most hot and humid.
A quarter of Britain’s top athletes suffer from exercise-induced asthma and
some might wear face masks during training and competition. They include
Paula Radcliffe, the marathon runner who succumbed to the heat before the
finishing line in Athens four years ago. The mother of one has enlisted
pollution experts in her campaign for her first Olympic medal.
The International Olympic Committee has said that it will postpone or cancel
endurance events if conditions pose a danger to athletes’ health.
Gebrselassie, whose marathon record is 2hr 4min 26sec, called on China to deal
with the pollution problem, which he feels will be “a hazard to athletes,
seriously affecting their performances”.
Up to and during the Games, the IOC has promised to monitor Beijing’s air
quality closely. On Sunday, Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, said that
China had made “major progress” in tackling pollution. This included
switching from coal to gas energy, closing 10 per cent of its power stations
and planting millions of trees to improve its air quality.
Last week, the Chinese authorities began their first census of pollution
sources around Beijing as part of an environmental improvement strategy
ahead of the Games. The survey will cover 90,000 sources, of which 24,000
are industrial, 45,000 residential, 21,000 agricultural and 128 treatment
facilities, according to Beijing’s bureau of environmental protection.
Companies failing to provide accurate information face a fine of up to
50,000 yuan (£3,500). The findings of the survey will be approved in the
first half of next year.
City officials said last month that significant pollutants had been reduced
and air quality in the city had improved for a ninth consecutive year but
experts have said that inhalable particles and ozone are still likely to be
big issues during the Games. China has the top 16 most polluted cities in
the world and 750,000 people a year die from breathing-related illnesses,
according to a report published at the weekend.
The report from Human Rights without Frontiers International urged the IOC and
Western governments to press China on the issue as well as on its human
rights record. “China’s toxic air reflects its equally foul human rights
record,” said Reggie Littlejohn, a US lawyer advising the Brussels-based
group.
“It appears doubtful that Beijing will take the robust and decisive measures
required to ensure safe air for the Olympics.”
Haile Gebrselassie says he will not run in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing
Olympics over fears about the high pollution levels in the city. The
Ethiopian marathon world record holder, who suffers from asthma and missed
the 2007 London Marathon because of the problem, will now run at the shorter
distance of 10,000m in Beijing.
"The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be
difficult for me to run 42km in my current condition," Gebrselassie
said. "But I am not pulling out of the Olympic event in Beijing all
together. I plan to participate in the 10,000m event."
News of the development is struggling to reach audiences in China, where
transmissions of BBC World were mysteriously suspended when the station
relayed the story.
Last year Britain's Paula Radcliffe, who suffers from exercise-induced asthma,
called in pollution experts to help her plans to run in the Games marathon.
"I’m not frightened of racing in Beijing,” Radcliffe said. “The heat, the
humidity and the pollution is something that you simply have to adapt to,
and it is something that I have to have under control.
"But it will be tough for everyone. If you are in good shape and you
acclimatise properly, then you will run well.”
China should get the chance they deserve to host the Olympics. Over the years, the olympics have played a great part in keeping the world at peace, and cancelling the olympics in bejin would only disrupt that peace. ROCK ON!!!
Mike Hawk, Denver, U.S
Are we actually worried about environmental and human right issues or are we after trashing China's image in the name of beijing olympics. Who is innocent of environmental pillution and human right violations. Lets be real
Gashaw, Yiwu, china
I think china deserves losing this chance; as the city is air polluted and the country is affected by human rights pollution too. and what about the indirect genocide in darfur? I don't think we should give china a billions of dollars as a reward to the prevailing situations in the country.
lion, addis abeba, Ethiopia
he was never going to win anyway, not running against the 3 best Kenyan marathon runners ever!
IM, London,
Addis Ababa, Haile's home, is very polluted - it's 2,500m above sea level, so the air is thin. A dark cloud of vehicle fumes, etc, hangs over the city on a permanent basis.
John, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Don't you think China deserves a bit more time in clearing its air and waters? How long did London take? Hasn't there been smog in Los Angeles? With increasing awareness of environmental issues, there have been improvements like that we are soon to pay for plastic bags in supermarkets.
I only hope we can take less time with advanced technology available.
(Btw, we do see stars at night in Shanghai.)
And it is believed here that the Olympic Committee should not be influenced by politics when making decisions. If the Games is of pure sports, then athletes who hold different political views should keep the thoughts to themselves, leaving them for suitable occasions.
One last thing, human rights. Well, at least we don't hang homosexuals or reject their stay in China. So Mr. Kazemi from Iran, China is a nice destination if Home Office turns down your asylum application again, providing you are not suffering from asthma.
Jie, Shanghai, China
I also have asthma and suffer from London's air pollution which the congestion charge has done noting to alleviate.
I doubt he'll have a good time of it here in 2012 either.
Thalia, London,
The 1904 olympics at St. Louis where marked by the pollution there. In fact, something like 60% of the competitors in the swimming events came down with bacterial infections, some died as a result. So its nothing new.
Steve, Belleville, Illinois
So he doesn't participate. No big loss.
Ignatz Horowitz, aound the corner from you,
I am surprised that no one seems to have addressed the real issues here, which should be -
What on earth is the International Olympics Committee doing, as it "junkets" its way around the world selecting suitable future venues?
All other criteria aside, did none of them notice the level of air pollution in Beijing, or has it only just occurred?
Are none of them aware that top athletes, of all people, need to breathe freely and safely to give their best performance?
Is this the ultimate sporting event, or is it political; or worse, still backhanders?
Is it not possible to agree 4 or 5 dedicated future sites, which offer the best 'median' conditions for all-comers, and simply rotate? This would of course affect the gravy train!
As for London 2012 I hear that IOC bigwigs need 3000 chauffeur-driven cars, on priority lanes, for 2 MONTHS: to watch others compete, for how long?!
MikeM, St. Albans, England
What lefty global warming tree huggers dont realize that in less than 20 years most of the US pollution wiil come from China...if you think the US is such a big polluter need to think again...
Val, Altadena , USA
I find it fascinating that so many Olympic runners are turning up with exercise-induced asthma.
I've had a lot of world-class athletes as customers, and know very well the mind set that is required to win at that level. They will use any advantage available to train and win; legal or not, ethical or not.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if many of these athletes are using prescription medications that open up their airways, allowing greater transfer of oxygen, thus greater performance. Having a diagnosis of "exercise induced asthma" facilitates this process.
Mike Ramsey, Plano, TX USA
As an Ethiopian native, I am CRUSHED! I hope the Chinese can get their act together before the games start so that Haile will be able to compete in the marathon.
Haile Mohawe, Cleveland, USA
At least Gebrselassie has an opportunity to compete in the Olympics. Women are still banned from competing in Ski Jumping in the winter Olympics. So much for the strict gender equality espoused by the Olympic Charter. www.wsj2010.com
Dan, St. Paul, MN
China's pollution is no where as bad as pollution in the USA. Just ask any USA democrat politician or any of their wacko lefty counterparts. Ask Al Gore or Prince Charles.
Joe, escondido/Mexico, USA / California
This has to be the USA's fault. Everything else is.
And Bill, Maryville, Tennessee: I wonder why you and I apparently are the only ones who are catching the shift from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change" so that crowd can tailor their arguments that they know better than you how live.
Is this not obvious to everyone?
RJ, Harrisburg, PA
It was a great travesty to award the Olympics to a country with such a human rights abuse towards its own citizens
KC, USA, USA
So it is ok awarding the olympics to countries that abuse people in other countries as long as their not its own citizens then?
Raymond, Liverpool, UK
If I was a world class athlete, I would not even consider competing in Bejing. The only reason that China was awarded the Olympics in the first place is stupid world politics. The Olympic Committee had to have visited Bejing, they knew what the pollution was like and aparently do not care about the health of the athletes.
Randy Frank, Fairbanks, Alaska
Yeah MikeS, where are all these "great beacons of freedom" when it comes to these issues? Europe and America's ruling classes must have instructed their "elected" leaders to leave the Chinese alone. The western ruling class owns the means of production. They're getting richer and richer thanks to low manufacturing costs on main land China. What keeps those costs low? Zero investment in enviromentally friendly energy production/manufacturing technologies and a shockingly low worker standard of living in China. The Chinese have had years to address the air pollution problem for the long term. They've choosen to pull cars off the street for a few weeks and seed the clouds. Nice.
John, Decatur, IL
I knew this was coming. China might have done something about it's pollution in the past 12 months, but it takes signifantly longer to clean pollution than it does to make it. 1 year of cleaning the air is a fraction of a percent of making it better. I lived in China for 11 months and grew sick of the air, developed allergies which I never had before in my life. I can imagine that any negative comments towards China or the Beijing Olympics will never reach anyone inside of China because of the China Governments control on media.
And I bet that most people won't even be able to watch the Olympics because the cameras can't see the smog.
Katsumi, Richmond, VA
According to the "Global Warming" cult, what, the global warming thing isn't working, "Climate Change", that's what they are using now. The "Climate Change" cult says that the United States and George Bush are the only ones contributing to the "Man Made" climate change. So how did China get pulled into this?
Bill, Maryville, Tennessee
Having a sweet cat, I was appalled by the story of the Chinese exterminating cats in Beijing. How a society treats its pets says a lot about it's level of civilization. Let's not even discuss how they treat endangered species (except for the Giant Panda, which they use ,to brag, as a symbol or their greatness). I wonder what they're doing with the Homeless, seriously.
China's zeal towards these Olympics is over-the-top militant and definitely not a "game." It seems like they are ready to go to war if anyone critizes them. The should never have been awarded the Olympics. Their exaggerated need for "face," is ridiculous and points to their inferiority complex.
I won't be watching these "games."
Robert Gonzalez, New York, NY
Every picture I see of Beijing looks like the Great London Smog of 1952. It looks like they have it every day. How can anybody live in that never mind run in it.
This is life in the World's leading manufacturing center. They could do it cleaner but it wouldn't be cheaper and cheaper is what the world wants.
Wal
Wal Man, Boston, Massachusetts
Good for him. Since all of these "free" democracies are afraid to speak up rather than offend the communists, it sometimes takes the little guy to get the ball rolling. I hope he sends a huge message to those communist dolts.
MikeS, USA,
Mark from Hong Kong post.
Do you really think that with all of the smoke and mirrors (no pun intended) that you guys put up - actually fool's us?
Give it up man - we can see through disinformation unlike your pollution you have in your industrial provinces. China is the biggest single pollutant next to India and the equatorial belt of Africa - open fires! Face it Mark, we know what your guys are up to - come clean ! (again, no pun intended).
If this helps, I am sure the PLA and the Communist Only Party will make the Olympic's a total success - for those that survive the pollution I mean.
Pollution is everywhere not just in China and if you read alot then you will know that the communist regime in China has just extended pollution into space - read PLA generals decide to blow up old Satellite in space. Proving ? well actually everybody except the PLA has already worked it out - China wants to be a 'Super Pollutant' - I ment 'Power' - Cant wait for the big day ! got my mask ready.
Rowan Scott, Dunedin, NZ
Mark, this article is on a British website about an Ethiopian athlete.
Rory, Washington, DC
Mark is part of the new breed of Anti Americans who use every excuse to bad mouth the USA, The point is not coming from the American Government, this athlete has ASTHMA, I spend a lot of time in Beijing and I would not bring my son their if he had asthma. The same way I would not bring him to Cleveland 10 years ago. And when was the last time you went for a swim in HK waters Mark.........I didnt think so. If it wasnt for the US, you would have had any market for the stuff you have been making in HK for the last 50 years. Worry about your own backyard the USA will be just fine thank you
Tony Sarkis, New York, USA
Great that Haile is drawing attention to the pollution.
I live in Beijing and this is the fourth day running of eye-stinging smog and not a glimpse of blue sky.
And it would be great to have more reporting of the media censorship here - the BBC news website is permanently blocked and BBC World goes blank when there are negative reports about China.
Emily, Beijing,
I think the athletes should be concerned. I spent 4 days in Beijing last week and a total of 2 weeks in China. My boyfriend and I both developed respiratory infections within a day of being in Beijing. The air quality is terrible. The smog is unbelievable. The newspapers acknowledge the problem and state they plan to take 1.3 million cars off the road daily starting in June to help alleviate the problem-good luck!!
Brenda, Boston, MA
Air is filthy, politics and repression even filthier. I for one won't be going anywhere near the place.
How they think they are going to be able to handle a couple of million extra tourists in the space of a few weeks I don't know. As for service and manners (regular public spitting), as a regular China goer, better take your hand sanitizer and prepare to be shocked, coz outside the gilded 5 star hotels, it is a hovel.
Nick, Bangkok, thailand
Ernest House....... its a lot better here than it used to be!! In fact the US Embassy says the following about air pollution :
"Shanghai's air would be considered heavily polluted by U.S. standards, but it is only "moderately" polluted from the Chinese point of view -- Los Angeles air quality could be considered a rough equivalent"
LA air quality didnt stop the 1984 Olympics!
DavidB, Shanghai, China
Ref Mark Hong Kong China: "Great that is two less americans to have to worry about."
Just to educate you, Haile Gebrselassie is Ethiopian ... that is in Africa you know. And he has only dropped out of the Marathon event, not the entire Olympics.
Paula Radcliffe is from Britain, this is in Europe. She also has not dropped out of the event, but is taking the precautions of consulting experts on how to best compete in a smog filled environment.
I suggest you reread the article, and then brush up on geography.
Mark, MA, USA,
Hey Stranger than Fiction:
You think America's Gitmo (housing of real terrorists in a secure location) is on the worse human rights abuses in history? How about China's execution of prisoners to sell their internal organs (and then billing the family for the bullet used)? Why don't you wake up?
Mike, Washington, DC, USA
The Nazis of today are waving red flags and little books by chairman Mao. This is a replay of 1936 on steroids.
The us feeds the world with less co2 produced per bushell than any country on earth, and with so many people to feed yes alot of oil is consumed in order to do it. It is amazing that the coal belching communist chinese want to propagandize their cleanliness and the consumption of the west.
charlie, china grove,
I'm struck by how silly and deceived some posters are about the USA. Frank in Halifax talked about how horrible human rights are in the USA citing 'reservations dotted all over the USA'. Frank hasn't a clue. A Shanghai poster declares 'Guantanamo Bay [is] one of the biggest human rights abuses in history'. Right.
Glenn, portland,
I am in Shanghai right now where the air pollution is not as bad as Beijing, The air in Shanghai is really aweful. I go home tomorrow and I can't wait
ernest house, FL, USA
Great that is two less americans to have to worry about. I was in Beijng last week, the stadiums are magnificent - makes the crap that Los Angeles managed in its place! China will make the games the best ever and if the yanks want to complain about pollution remember you morons consume more than the rest of us and put more into the atmosphere than the rest of us. So keep your peurile opinions to yourself and lets hope one day you will wake up to the reality that the Good Ol US of A is the cause not the solution!
Mark, Hong Kong, China
it is amazing how many prejudiced posters there are in The Times. So many comments about air pollution reports on the BBC, but on BBC TV a BBC team spent days in Beijing and their comment? How pristine the air and weather were. Human rights? How about the human rights of the aborigines who were shooed away durng Aurstalia's 200th anniversary parade. And that was on TV and no one complained. How about the reservations dotted all over the USA? And the ever expanding Israeli settlements in Palestine? All funded and paid for and armed by the USA.
the Olympics? It should be abolished. Or reserved for white people. But that means people from all six continents in the world anyway.
Frank, Halifax, UK
Beijing has already announced last year that they will force rain by cloud seeding and clear the air every day for 2 weeks before the olympics so that the skies are clear. I lived there for 6 years and know it is awful and the rain leaves black spots on your clothes. But the Chinese and the Russians have both admitted to clearing skys and forcing rain to stop and forcing it to rain. I understand his concern, but I think he is uninformed of the plans that have been announced long ago of the sky clearings.
Hamlet, seattle, WA
And now i hear the olympics are being used as an excuse to clamp down on the Muslim separatists in Xinjiang. I have travelled to many places in China and love the country and people, but the goverment is ruthless and cruel. They get what they want by whatever means, whether keeping their empire together (Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia) or quieting dissent. The Chinese people on top of this are completely indoctrinated, the news source (CCTV) is a joke.
Matthew, Bangkok, Thailand
I saw a story last week about the capturing, caging and subsequent death of hundreds of cats in the Olympic city. Didn't I see a story last year about killing dogs and I know I remember something about red square, some tanks and a human rights issue. I wonder if It will be called the best Olympics yet.
Tommy T., Atlanta, Ga , United States of America
Sheesh. Between this story and that sickening report about how China is getting rid of cats en masse', I'm not sure if I'll even watch this year.
Scott, Gresham , OR / USA
I need an inhaler just thinking about it.
caroline, chelsea, USA
I agree with KC... China should never have been awarded the games in the first place. Although it is the Olympics, I think more athletes should make a statement about the serious human rights issues surrounding the Chinese government.
Justin Cas, SF, USA
i need an inhaler just thinking about it...
caroline, chelsea, USA
I've travelled to China two times in the past three years. The first thing you notice when you exit the airport is that the air smells like a campfire. I figured that there was probably just some fields that were being burnt near the airport and that the smoke filled air was just fog that would soon burn off when the sun came fully up. Little did I know that the smell, taste and color of the sky never changed. It was brown the hole time, you could barely even make out the skyline of the city. It was awful. After a few days you begin to hack/spit just like the taxi drivers. Most people there are sick (coughing) and you become one of them after a few days. There is no escape all of the major cities are like this. Some cities are a little bit better. You feel like staying inside the whole time. When you visit the beautiful sites like the Summer Palace, Great Wall and some of the other lovely outdoor sites, it's almost not even worth taking pictures. Nothing is clear.
vr, Xei
Xeifrank, SoCal, USA
I have been to china many times on business -- I am an avid runner but I refuse to run when in Beijing because of the air quality....it is almost as bad out in Shenzhen depending on the weather. I cannot possibly see how the Olympics will be held there ... I can't fathom how the water sports will be run. I have been around the world and Beijing is the dirtiest city I have ever been in. Sorry -- but its the truth.
Jane, Chicago, IL
Just Google terms like 'cancer villages' or 'Asian brown cloud'. And then note that western nations are causing these problems by outsourcing so much manufacturing to China where the regard for the environment and worker health is nonexistent.
JerryF, Virginia, USA
Google CHINA WATER POLLUTION and you'll find just how bad it is. Check both google news and web.
Dave W., Katy, Texas
The Chinese are guilty of "Environmental Apartheid".
Bob Way, Alameda,
I just returned from Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The pollution was unbearable. The only time I saw blue sky was after our flight reached cruising altitude.
The pollution made my eyes tear, lungs burn, and sinuses run. It was absolutely miserable! The city buildings, roads, and plants were all covered with a fine layer of settled particulates. This layer muted colors and gave the city a very drab, depressing appearance.
If you must go to China, drink lots of bottled water and take detoxification supplements to combat the pollution.
Brad, Encinitas, CA
I wonder how long its been since anyone in Beijing has seen stars at night. They are the first things to disappear in pollution.
Problem with some kinds of industrial air pollution, it can take weeks or months before you know the damage is done.
Robert, Phoenix, USA
The Olympics should have never been awarded to China in the first place. It was a great travesty to award the Olympics to a country with such a human rights abuse towards its own citizens; their water and air pollution problems; unfair trade practices; etc., etc., etc.
KC, USA, USA
What are the Chinese going to do??? Oh by the way, not so sure about nuclear power either.....where will the waste go????? That will last longer than ever global warming!
Marie, Batesville,
Even the postcards in China are doctored to have blue skies inserted into the smoggy scenery. It's a shame the air so dirty as China is an otherwise beautiful country.
David, Chicago, IL
We had Chinese exchange students to our Virginia home last summer. After a few weeks in the US I asked them to describe something about the US that impressed them the most (they visited several other states/cities, large and small). They all immediately answered, "The sky is so blue here!"
'Nuff said.
Porter Clapp, Smithfield, VA
Nuclear Power is the only way to save our Planet
Harold, Markham, Ontario, Canada
I've been to China several times recently and the pollution is very bad. What suprises me is that in China the government teaches the populace that America is so polluted you can't live a normal life there. When I brought my Chinese wife here (USA) for the first time, her chronc cough that she suffered with for over 20 years cleared up in a week. Very ironic that China is now going to be seen as one of the biggest polluters in the world becase they wanted the olympics to showcase their country.
Larence, Roanoke, Va
Haile did not miss the 2007london marathon, he did not finish it due to stomach cramp
Kirtan Shah, London, UK
Good on you Haile,
It looks like this anouncement has already given the Chinese a big headache. The story alludes to this by reporting that " transmissions of BBC World were mysteriously suspended when the station relayed the story." Of course Haile's readiness for the Marathon or pollution levels in Addis Abeba, should not take away anything from the fact that the Olympic host city is a health hazard. More should publicise this fact as much as China's political involvement in Sudan!
Seifu Kidane, London, UK