Athletes prepare for running in smog at Beijing Olympics
I read this interesting article today about how runners are preparing for dealing with the poor air quality at the Olympics in China. Precautions include everything from breathing gear to arriving at the last possible moment. Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, who is asthmatic, won’t even be running the marathon, although he will still be competing in a shorter race. Some athletes are more concerned about the heat and humidity than the pollution in Beijing.
So, what can be done about Beijing’s smog issues at this point? Not a whole lot. I do believe they’re taking every possible measure to clear the air in time for the Olympics. But it seems to be a day late and a dollar short. It’s unfortunate that world class athletes have to compete under such conditions, especially as this should have been a foreseeable problem.
Athletes will most definitely be impacted by the air quality – including the U.S. each volleyball players.
For all you Olympics fans, a new book has just been published that digs deep inside the sport of pro beach volleyball to uncover all the behind-the-scenes stories about the life and times on the AVP pro beach tout – the largest in the world. All the struggles and successes are captured in this exciting and groundbreaking book. “Order On The Court” by Tom Burke is now available at http://www.orderonthecourt.com and has been published just in time for the Olympics in Beijing.