Beijing Olympic News Round Up - July 29, 2008 (10 days prior to Opening Ceremonies)

Thick “Fog” Permeates Beijing, Chinese Officials Mobilize Emergency “Fog” Clearing Response

Air quality in Beijing made the cover of today’s Wall Street Journal.

Beijing Considers New Curbs As Pollution Threatens Games (Shai Oster, Wall Street Journal)

Beijing officials say they have made progress, but they acknowledge there is more to do. “We are pleased with the results of the measures that have been taken so far,” said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau. He says pollution levels are 20% less than they would have been without the measures. “But there are still some days that exceed limits because of weather and emissions. We take our pledge very seriously and will take extra measures to ensure clean air during the period of the Olympic Games.”

The online version (registration required) of the Wall Street Journal has a fantastic interactive graphic, a small portion of which is pictured above.

Other Sources:

Days before Games, lingering smog worries Beijing
Officials consider emergency action as air quality steps fail to clear smog (David Barron, Houston Chronicle)

Air quality earlier this week was described as among the worst in Beijing in the past month. But new arrivals who glance toward the sky and wonder what happened to the sun must keep in mind, said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, that appearances can be deceiving.

“Under certain circumstances there may be bad visibility on foggy days, rainy days,” he said this week. “It is like when taking a bath in the bathroom. It doesn’t mean there is pollution.

“Whether the sky is blue has something to do with air quality, but it is not equated with air quality. We need to focus on statistics gathered through a monitoring process.”

‘The fog is common at this time of year’ -
Sports Update: Blogging special sports events (chron.com)

Fran Blineberry:

We’re staying right in the heart of the Olympic Green and they tell us the brand new, magnificent Bird’s Nest Stadium is about a quarter mile away. Trouble is, the air is so thick with smog and haze and who knows what kind of pollutants that a bird might break his beak flying straight into the side of the stadium and never know what hit him.

David Barron:

We’ve thus far had Texas-quality heat and one night of Texas-quality humidity. Think perpertual fog, only it’s not fog.

UPDATE: Rain and wind clears skies!

Beijing air improves with wind and rain - Jul 29 01:13 PM US/Eastern (Henry Sanderson, AP)

Winds and rain were a “major factor” in causing pollutants to dissipate [sic], said spokeswoman Zhai Xiaohui with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau

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Terrorism remains a concern for Chinese Officials

Beijing cites numerous Olympic threats - (Charles Hutzler, AP)

“The Chinese definition of security threat is pretty broad, and in the context of the Olympics, it encompasses anyone who might seek to ‘disrupt’ the games,” Drew Thompson, director of China studies at the Nixon Center in Washington, said in an e-mail.

For the communist regime, “it’s not about terrorism. It’s about security,” said one Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. “It’s the current reason for expanding the entire scope of the police state.” [emphasis added]

Meanwhile, last week’s bus attacks have produced conflicting messages from Chinese officials. On one hand, the use the events to justify increase security measures, while casually dismissing last week’s events.

Police, cited by Xinhua, said the bus explosion in Shanghai in which three people died was caused by an oil fire and the Wenzhou explosion by a debt-ridden gambler, while there’s no evidence to connect the Kunming bus bombings to terrorism.

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Former Gold metalist on the Chinese Olympic Team are barred from the 2008 Team for political reasons

China dumps gold medallists from Olympics ‘for political reasons’

More than half of China’s gold medallists from the Athens Olympics have been purged from the country’s current team, some allegedly for political reasons. (Our Foreign Staff, London Telegraph)

NB: “Our Foreign Staff?” You mean our foreign staff who are afraid to put their real names on a story that might not flatter the government? That foreign staff?

Tian, 28, was kicked off the national team in 2005 for unashamedly endorsing everything from wooden floors to seafood snacks. “He was producing a negative influence on the preparation for the 2008 Olympics,” said a sports official.

He also hit the gossip columns for his relationship with fellow diver Guo Jingjing and they were dubbed the “Posh and Becks” of Chinese sport. She managed to stay on the team after she publicly denounced her behaviour.

Since then, Tian has tried to rehabilitate his career by competing at provincial level and refusing to criticise the administration for what happened. He carried the Olympic torch as it passed through Xi’an. However, he was still left out of the team and has voiced his “regrets”.

Other Chinese athletes are forced to compete.

Yang Wenjun, the gold medalist in flatwater canoeing in Athens, has publicly complained that he has tried to quit the sport for a decade. Yang said the authorities had threatened to withhold his pension if he did not compete in Beijing.

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Foreign Journalists Report Chinese Government Infringements on Press Freedom

Internet sites still blocked for Olympic reporters

Broadcasters have complained about having permits rescinded, being forced to give notice a month ahead of time about the location of satellite trucks, and facing harassment from bureaucrats and police about renting office space or getting parking permits for their vehicles.

Earlier this month, broadcasters tried again to get Olympic organizers to lift restrictions on live broadcasts from Tiananmen Square. Alex Gilady, a senior IOC member and a senior vice president of NBC Sports, has pushed for more live time from the iconic venue - China is offering six hours daily, and no interviews. Others are pressing to lift the ban on live interviews.

“Don’t push the issue,” responded organizing committee executive vice president Wang Wei, according to an official who attended the meeting. It was Wang who led Beijing’s 2001 bid, and who said after winning: “We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China.”

Even Cubans complain about the excessive rigidity of Chinese security.

Cuban reporter Joel Garcia Leon, with the magazine Trabajadores, said he expected the censorship. But he was overwhelmed by other red tape.

“I’m surprised how tightly controlled and complicated everything is here,” he said. “To get a phone number from China Mobile, I have to give them a copy of my passport and my mother’s maiden name. This seems quite excessive and abnormal.”

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Which news story is most interesting to you in the lead up to the games?

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Tagged as: air quality, athletes, china, controversy, olympics, pollution, press freedoms