Thursday, January 24, 2008

Be the Smog: Olympic athletes look to deal with Beijing's horrid pollution

Olympics-bound athletes concerned about dealing with the Beijing smog are trying to figure out how they can begin to adapt to the severe pollution while still on home turf. And the real struggle for some athletes may not be so much making the team but getting to the starting line alive. As Randy Wilber, lead exercise physiologist for the USOC, put it in the New York Times today (story): “If they thought locking themselves in the garage with the car running would help them win a gold medal, I’m sure they would do it. Our job, obviously, is to prevent that.”

The story also includes a great visual detailing pollution trends in and around Beijing and the effects pollution can have on performance. More than you may want to know, really. But, you be the judge (graphic, click to enlarge).

(Photo by kevindooley, under Creative Commons)

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