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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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Beijing Smog May Postpone Olympic Events

With exactly 1 year to go, China scrambles to reduce pollution

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(Newser) – The air pollution in Beijing is so bad that some 2008 Olympic events may have to be postponed. IOC president Jacques Rogge is worried about participants in endurance events like cycling because air quality remains dismal despite government efforts, such as shutting down factories, to improve it. Construction for the Games has actually made the problem worse, the BBC reports.

Chinese organizers say it may not be possible to postpone events, because schedules have already been decided, but they vowed to work harder in response to Rogge's remarks. He expressed his concerns in his strongest statement yet at an event today marking the start of the 1-year countdown to the opening ceremonies.

Construction workers labor on a building on a hazy morning in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. Despite billions spent to move refineries and steel mills out of town, Beijing has been blanketed for weeks by choking industrial smog. To guarantee clean air during the 17-day 2008 Olympics, about 1...
Construction workers labor on a building on a hazy morning in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. Despite billions spent to move refineries and steel mills out of town, Beijing has been blanketed...   (Associated Press)
A man sits on a steam roller near China's Olympic National Stadium in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 8, 2007, exactly a year before the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games. The stadium, dubbed the Bird's Nest, will host the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Aug 8, 2008. Beijing is...
A man sits on a steam roller near China's Olympic National Stadium in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 8, 2007, exactly a year before the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games. The stadium, dubbed the Bird's Nest,...   (Associated Press)
A pedestrian walks on the street on a hazy morning in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. Despite billions spent to move refineries and steel mills out of town, Beijing has been blanketed for weeks by choking industrial smog. To guarantee clean air during the 17-day 2008 Olympics, about 1...
A pedestrian walks on the street on a hazy morning in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. Despite billions spent to move refineries and steel mills out of town, Beijing has been blanketed for weeks...   (Associated Press)
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