Olympic Athletes Urged To Avoid Breathing While In Beijing

BEIJING--Jacques Rogge, Olympic Committee Chairman for the 2008 Summer Olympics, has advised all Olympic athletes to avoid breathing while competing in host city of Beijing in order to protect their lungs from the toxic pollutants hanging in the air. Beijing’s air quality ranks among the worst in the world, with pollution levels currently three times higher than deemed safe by the World Health Organization.

Many athletes who have trained there have reported inflammation in their throats and burning sensations in their chests, prompting the advisory from Chairman Rogge.

“We advise the athletes who are competing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to avoid breathing during their stay in the city,” Rogge said today. “While breathing is a vital and necessary part of athletic competition and survival, it is not worth the risk of inhaling the toxic soup of pollutants present in Beijing’s air. Therefore, athletes should practice holding their breath for extended periods of time so that when they compete in the Olympics they can do so without breathing.”

Athletes who choose to run, jump, and lift weights while breathing could risk serious respiratory illness and even death, said physiologist Greg Anderson.

“The risk is high even for residents and spectators,” said Anderson. “But for athletes, the risk is through the roof. There is so much pollution in the air that you can actually taste it. As an athlete, you’re breathing that stuff in at an incredibly fast rate. I could definitely see a bunch of runners dropping dead in the middle of a race, which would certainly create a lot of drama, but that drama would be ruined by NBC’s 12-hour tape delay so it wouldn't even be worth it.”

When Beijing was selected as the Olympic host city, the Chinese government offered assurances that the pollution problem would be solved by 2008. With under a year to go before the opening ceremonies, however, very little progress has been made.

Chinese President Hu Jintao insists that the country is doing everything in its power to ensure “superior air quality” for the Olympic Games.

“By 2008, the air in Beijing will be pristine,” said Hu. “We are planning to remove thousands of automobile, factories, and residents in time for the games to ensure that our pollution levels drop well below world averages. As it is, the pollution is exaggerated. I just got back from a walk around the city and it was perfectly fine, except when that pigeon materialized out of nowhere and smashed into my face.

“It must have been some kind of magic, enchanted pigeon because visibility is so good here that you can see three, four inches in front of your face on a good day.”

He also said that reports of respiratory problems were exaggerated.

“Those reports are greatly exaggerated by the international media,” Hu said. “Every major city has pollution problems. Certainly people in New York, London, and Paris have respiratory problems from the air quality, no? It’s not like people are dropping dead here in the streets. It’s just a minor coughing and burning sensation along with occasional spitting up of blood, which is good to, um...cleanse your veins or something.”

Despite assurances from the Chinese government, many athletes are preparing for the 2008 games by holding their breath for long periods of time and/or chain-smoking unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes while training.

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