Beijing Olympics 2008

Athletes competing in a marathon on Sunday showed less concerns for air pollution during the incoming Beijing Olympics rather than possible heat waves and humidity.
The 42.195-kilometer race was held as a test event for marathoners to run on a newly designed Olympic course which meets historical cites and major business streets including China’s top two universities and is different from that adopted in annual Beijing marathon event.

The temperature dropped to about 15 Celsius degrees after the start, much cooler than the last two days when a race walking challenge was held at nearly 28 degrees. It turned heavy raining one and a half hours later, breaking up mass martial art performance in the finish, the National Stadium, or “Bird’s Nest”.

“Although it is freezingly raining today, I would make more preparation for heat and humidity in August,” silver medalist Zhou Chunxiu, expected as another Olympic hope for China’s track and field besides hurdler Liu Xiang, said in all wet body covered by towel after race.

No information from the marathoners was available during the race because the organizers temporarily canceled live TV broadcast on Sunday morning, giving a reason that there was no remote pickup unit in a short notice.

Being repeatedly asked by foreign journalists for a comment on Beijing’s air pollution, many athletes stood shivering when passing the mixed zone, leaving only “it is cold.”

“The pollution yesterday was bad, but today it rains and does not really bother the competition,” said Mara Rosalind Yamauchi who finished fifth.

“Air pollution will be a challenge for the Olympics and I hope the organizers could improve it,” she said.

The British, who married a Japanese, said she will come to Beijing this summer and try her best in marathon, but also confirmed that she will do her training in Japan, Macao and Switzerland before August.

“The overall preparation is good, it is just a test event,” Yamauchi said the course is “smooth” and the stadium is “fantastic”, despite some details to be improved.

Mongolia’s Serod Batochir, gold medalist in men’s race, said he had not felt any pollution because of the rain, adding that hot and wet weather in August will be a more headachy problem for him.

Toilet was another issue in the marathon race started from Tiananmen Square at the heart of the capital as a symbolic venue to hold prominent ceremonies in China.

The British marathoner told she has not found any toilets at the start to some foreign journalists.

However, some Chinese journalists and volunteers who had not been to the marathon start insisted that there must be some toilets since Beijing has held many marathons.

“It is also possible that the British athlete did not ask the volunteers at the start or they failed to told her toilet’s location,” one of the volunteers working at a press conference room for the race, “it is unfair to say there is no toilet only for one athlete claimed she didn’t find one.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn

An analysis of Beijing’s air quality indicates that the health of the vast majority of athletes competing in the summer Olympic Games will not be impaired, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.
Over the past few weeks, the IOC has made an analysis of a set of air quality data - including temperature, wind, humidity and SO2, NO2, CO, Ozone and PM10 readings - which were taken by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau in August 2007 and given to the IOC.
“The findings indicate that, at Games time one year out, the health of athletes was largely not impaired,” said the Lausanne-based IOC in a statement.
The findings are also supported by the fact that no health issues related to air quality were reported to the Beijing Organizing Committee or the IOC by any team physicians looking after athletes who competed in the August 2007 test events, the statement said.
Besides, no air quality-related problems were reported at the IAAF Junior World Championships that were held in Beijing in August 2006, it added.
“As with all Olympic Games, we want to ensure that air quality risks are mitigated and that measures are put into place to protect the health of the athletes,” said Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC’s Medical Commission.
“For a few sports where we do see a possible risk, we will monitor the situation daily during Games time, and take whatever decisions are needed at the time to ensure the athletes’ health is protected,” he said.
The official expressed confidence that measures already put in place, plus those planned by Beijing organizers and city authorities, will continue to improve the city’s air quality leading up to - and during- the Games.

from: chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-03/18/content_6543550.htm

China has ordered all pharmaceutical plants to tag medicines that contain stimulants to prevent athletes from mistakenly using banned drugs during the Olympic Games, a drug watchdog official said here on Sunday.
Drugstores were told not to sell such medicine without tags that read “athletes cautious” on the package, said Wu Zhen, vice director the State Food and Drug Administration at a press conference on the sidelines of the parliament session.
Only approved pharmaceutical plants and wholesalers are allowed to produce and wholesale protein assimilation preparations and peptide hormones, the official said.
The Chinese law also forbids the sales of protein assimilation preparations except insulin or the sales of peptide hormones, Wu added.
The moves were aimed at a fair and clean environment for the Games, Wu noted.
A catalog of drugs needed during the Olympic Games has been compiled.
China is resolute against doping and the Beijing Olympics will feature the largest number of doping tests in the history of the Games, according to officials with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).
Anti-doping requirements have been issued to all participating athletes at the Beijing Games, officials said.

from: chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-03/16/content_6540272.htm

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Thursday urged foreign press members to do their part to create a favorable news coverage environment in China.
To honor its commitment in the bid for the right to host the Olympic Games, the Chinese government started on January 1, 2007 to implement the “Regulations On Reporting Activities in China by Foreign Journalists During the Beijing Olympic Games and the Preparatory Period.”
With a serious attitude toward the implementation of the Regulations, concerned government agencies and local governments have made great efforts to earnestly carry them out. “Any unbiased journalist will feel that a freer press coverage environment is available to foreign journalists now and they enjoy more facilities and services in China today,” Qin said at a regular press conference.
Generally speaking, he noted, the Regulations have been carried out well since they were put into force, and the move was commended by the international community, including foreign governments and media. However, there were some problems, Qin said, explaining that it takes time to carry out the Regulations in depth as conditions vary in different places in view of the country’s vast territory and big population. On the other hand, some foreign journalists need to rethink profoundly about their behaviors. Many cases of resistance to press coverage were caused by violations of the Regulations by some journalists, or their insistence for interviews against the interviewees’ will.
In violating journalistic ethics, Qin said, some media members even distorted facts and fabricated stories. “So both of us need to do our best to efficiently carry out the Regulations with an aim at improving press conditions in China and making news coverage acceptable to more organizations,” Qin added.

from: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/dynamics/headlines/n214268530.shtml 

China is continuously improving the work environment for foreign journalists, a move that has been well received by the international community, said a Foreign Ministry spokesman here on Thursday.
“As China continues to push forward its opening up, it is also making efforts to create a better work environment for foreign journalists,” said spokesman Qin Gang at a routine press conference.

“I believe the work environment for foreign journalists in China will get better and better.“

He said China had made efforts in a “serious”, “active” and “responsible” manner to carry out the current regulations to help foreign journalists to report on the August Olympiad.
The “Regulations on reporting activities in China by foreign journalists during the Beijing Olympic Games and the preparatory period” took effect on January 1 and expires on October 17.
“Any unbiased foreign reporters would notice that they are having more and more access and getting better service to make their reports on China along with China’s opening-up process,” Qin said.
However, he acknowledged there were problems during the implementation process which, he explained, were caused by two major factors.
First, China was a large country with a vast territory, a huge population and many differences among the various regions. It would take time for the foreign media regulations to be carried out thoroughly as various parties needed time to understand, absorb and implement the regulations. Second, a few foreign media also needed to reflect on their reporting style.
Qin said some reporters had violated Chinese regulations, didn’t respect those they had interviewed, yet proceeded with interviews against the person’s wish. Some had even fabricated news stories.
He said China would remain committed to improving the working conditions for foreign reporters in the country. He expressed his belief that foreign media would enjoy a better working environment with the country’s further opening to the outside world.

from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-03/14/content_6536288.htm