> Beijing Olympic Is Already the Laughingstock of the World -- China's
> Commuter Olympics; Many countries will train their athletes in Japan and
> Korea before the Games, due to concerns about pollution and food quality
> in Beijing. (GLOBAL).
>
> China's Commuter Olympics; Many countries will train their athletes in
> Japan and Korea before the Games, due to concerns about pollution and
> food quality in Beijing.(GLOBAL).
>
> Source:Business Week Online (Feb 13, 2008)(898 words)
>
> Document Type:Magazine/Journal
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> Full Text :COPYRIGHT 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
>
> Byline: Kenji Hall
>
> When the 2008 Summer Olympics kick off this summer, China's new economic
> might will be on display. But whether Beijing's big coming-out party
> will be spoiled by the city's notoriously foul air is still a question.
> For now, at least, some Olympic teams aren't taking any chances and have
> decided to keep their athletes away from the city for as long as
> possible. Nearly two dozen countries are finalizing plans to fly their
> teams to Japan or Korea for several weeks of training before flying the
> athletes to China at the eleventh hour.
>
> Already, teams from Finland, France, Germany, Britain, Sweden, Ireland,
> the Netherlands, and the U.S. have said they will hold pre-Olympics
> training camps in Japan, and more are expected to sign on in the coming
> months, according to Japanese Olympic Committee official Kenji
> Nishimura. In Korea, the story is the same. Ten countries, including
> Singapore, Switzerland, and New Zealand, have committed to sending
> athletes to Korea, while Bulgaria, Algeria, and four other countries are
> also scouting out sites.
>
> Publicly, sports officials say they are just eager to take advantage of
> world-class facilities available in countries neighboring China,
> especially with the convenient air links to Beijing from Japan and
> Korea. But privately, some say they aren't taking any chances on China
> until the last minute.
>
> Worried About Food and Pollution
>
> Japanese officials say visiting delegations have voiced concerns about
> the potential health risks athletes face while training in China. "They
> won't say it out loud, but officials from those countries told us they
> were worried about the food and pollution in Beijing," says Tetsuyuki
> Imataki, an official in Kagawa prefecture, in southern Japan, which will
> host athletes from Finland and Denmark.
>
> Germany's track and field team will have two cities -- Shibetsu and
> Ashibetsu -- on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido for its base. German
> officials "clearly told us from the outset" they would keep athletes
> outside China until the events begin, says Masataka Muro, a spokesman
> for the city of Shibetsu.
>
> Since winning hosting duties for the Olympics, China has led a
> high-profile fight against pollution. Last August, for instance, Beijing
> removed one-third of its cars from the roads, but the measure failed to
> improve air quality markedly. A World Bank report released last year
> said China's rapid growth has led to more cars on the road, rising
> output at factories, and increasing demands on coal-fired power plants,
> which supply about 80%% of the country's electricity. From 2000 to 2005,
> China failed to meet 10 of 13 targets for reducing pollution, and air
> pollution indicators have "remained constant or, in some instances, have
> increased." "China's cities still rank among the most polluted in the
> world," the report, titled Cost of Pollution in China, said.
>
> A Cure for Jet Lag
>
> Experts say they expect Beijing to go to extreme lengths to clear the
> air -- for instance, shutting down factories and banning cars months
> before the Games. "They will do everything that is humanly possible, but
> there is no guarantee that would be enough," says Christine Loh, chief
> executive officer of Civic Exchange, a Hong Kong think tank that does
> extensive research on the environment. Despite the challenge, she thinks
> Beijing will pull it off in time.
>
> Japan and Korea are also natural training alternatives to China because
> of their proximity to Beijing. Shaking off jet lag takes time: Generally
> speaking, athletes plan to spend a pre-competition day in Asia for every
> one-hour time difference between there and their home country. By basing
> themselves in Japan or Korea for the lead-up to the Games, athletes will
> be only one hour ahead of Beijing, a mere three-and-a-half-hour flight
> away. That's one reason why Britain's swim team chose Osaka. British
> athletes are also familiar with Japan's second-largest city, having
> stayed there during last year's International Swim Meet. Being in Osaka
> "will allow swimmers to train in the morning and fly to Beijing to
> compete in the afternoon," says British Olympic team spokesman Dave
> Richards.
>
> Having athletes arrive just before the Olympic torch is lit is not
> without precedent. One example: Swedish athletes trained at home or in
> Cyprus until just before they were scheduled to compete in the 2004
> Games in Athens. "We never have training camps in the city where the
> Olympics are held," says Swedish Olympic Committee spokesman Bkorn
> Folin. Sweden will have 150 athletes in Fukuoka, in southern Japan,
> after having considered Busan in southern Korea. [Athletes competing in
> canoeing, shooting, archery, equestrian, and sailing events will train
> in other places.] In 1968, several teams trained elsewhere in the final
> weeks before the Mexico City Summer Olympics because of health concerns.
>
> Dress Rehearsal for 2016?
>
> Eager for the economic boost, many local governments have dangled
> enticing perks to attract teams. Kagawa, for instance, went after the
> track and field teams of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark by
> offering free transportation to and from Kansai International Airport,
> about four hours away, and a 75%% discount on the fees to rent stadiums,
> gymnasiums, and other training facilities. So far, Finland and Denmark
> have said yes. In Korea, officials have offered accommodation packages
> at lower prices than in Japan.
>
> For Japan, attracting more athletes also fits in with the country's own
> aspirations to host the Games. Tokyo has been investing heavily to beat
> Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Rome to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
>
> http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2008/gb20080212_3009...
>
> Source Citation:"China's Commuter Olympics; Many countries will train
> their athletes in Japan and Korea before the Games, due to concerns
> about pollution and food quality in Beijing.(GLOBAL)." Business Week
> Online (Feb 13, 2008): NA.
>
> CPI.Q (Canadian Periodicals). Gale. TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARIES (CELPLO). 2
> Mar. 2008