CHINA: OLYMPICS - The IOC are confident that problems caused by Beijing's air pollution will be sufficiently addressed ahead of the 2008 Olympics

The IOC are confident that problems caused by Beijing's air pollution will be sufficiently addressed ahead of the 2008 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday (October 25) that Beijing's air pollution remained a concern for the 2008 Olympics, but adding they were confident that the issue would be sufficiently addressed. "Would there be any transfer of the events? Not a remote chance it might be in that the events will not take place here. And that means at the same time I am very confident that the air quality issue will be adequately addressed," Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission told reporters after a three-day meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing. Air quality has been one of the biggest issues facing the organisers of next August's Games, and the IOC chief Jacques Rogge said in August that some endurance events might have to be rescheduled if the pollution was too heavy. Verbruggen said there had been no delay in Beijing's venue constructions. "The venue construction has not been a worry from the beginning. As you know, we had to slow down the Chinese a little bit, because they proposed to us initially that all the venues would be ready by the end of 2006. But we did not think that was a good idea, given also the maintenance cost and so and so. So we have told them that by the end of 2007 is more than enough, as you know that will happen with the exception of the bird nest that was planned from the beginning to be ready somewhere around February March next year," said Verbruggen. China has pledged to present "Green Olympics" in 2008, with hotels being asked to use air conditioners sparingly and thousands of old taxis and buses taken off the roads in a bid to improve Beijing's notoriously foul air. "Beijing has seen great achievements in its work to control air pollution in the past years. But we are of course not satisfied with the results. The Chinese government and the Beijing government will take further measures to ensure good air quality for the Olympic Games next year," said vice executive president of Beijing 2008 Organising Committee. He added the city has seen 241 blue skies in 2006 compared to 100 in the year 1998. China sees the Olympics as a chance to showcase its development achievements to the world and is going to great lengths to guarantee the comforts of thousands of athletes and officials who will descend on the capital.

ITN Source | October 26, 2007

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