The Adventure Guys - Can Olympic athletes prepare for Beijing's pollution?

The inside story on outside recreation

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Can Olympic athletes prepare for Beijing's pollution?

Posted by Craig Hill @ 09:21:53 am

One of the primary concerns for athletes as they train for this summer’s Olympics in Beijing is the air quality.

The International Olympic Committee has even warned that endurance events could be postponed if air pollution is at a dangerous level.

Pat McDonough, director of athletics for USA Cycling, says preparing for Beijing is a bit tricky.

“We have air purifiers for the rooms,” McDonough said. “But there is not a lot we can do on the course.”

McDonough says athletes can’t really acclimatize to pollution.

“Some athletes have tried and the only thing that really happens is that their level of performance has gone down,” McDonough said.

In the USA Cycling’s previous experience in polluted areas all days have been equally as nasty,” McDonough said.

“In a 10-day period maybe two days are pretty good and two days are really bad and the rest is someplace in between,” McDonough said. “We will plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

Categories: Craig Hill, Cycling, Adventure Guys

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The Adventure Guys

We admit it. We've got great jobs. How many people get told by their bosses to go out and play? We write about those experiences each Thursday in The News Tribune’s Adventure section. But there's always more to the story. Here, Craig Hill and Jeffrey P. Mayor will share the inside stories on their adventures - including their misadventures - plus post news and answer your questions.

CRAIG HILL

Craig Hill is The News Tribune’s injury-prone Adventure writer. After eight years covering college football and basketball, he started writing about adventure sports in 2004. He writes about everything from mountaineering and cycling to skiing and camping. You can reach him at craig.hill@thenewstribune.com

JEFFREY P. MAYOR

Jeffrey P. Mayor has been The News Tribune’s Adventure editor since 2003, and oversees our weekly Adventure section. His coverage focuses on fishing, hunting, Mount Rainier and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can reach him at jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com