World Marathon Champion Announces He Will Not Run In Beijing Olympics Because Of Smog - BBC

[hatrack]

Haile Gebrselassie says he will not run in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of the city's air pollution levels.
The marathon world record holder suffers from asthma and missed the 2007 London Marathon because of the problem.

The 34-year-old will now try to qualify for Ethiopia in the 10,000m at Beijing.

"The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42km in my current condition," Gebrselassie told Reuters. "But I'm not pulling out of the Olympic event in Beijing all together. I plan to participate in the 10,000m event."

But Gebrselassie's agent said the Ethiopian will make a final decision on whether to run the Beijing marathon after the Hengelo meeting on 24 May in Holland, when he will know if he has qualified for the Olympics 10,000m.

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/athletics/7287578.stm

[underpants]

1. I saw this this morning

IT would be tough to run a marathon at that level in what I understand is the situation in Beijing

Apparently the women's soccer teams are going to stay and train 100 miles or so away-fly in on game days-and get the *%$^ out of Dodge immediately after the game. Nasty stuff.

[XemaSab]

2. I think this might be the first Olympics with a real death toll

Athletes' bodies are such precision machines that even a little tweak here or there can shut the whole thing down.