Beijing's air quality poses "no risk to athletes' health", according to Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But he would say that wouldn't he?
Rogge said there was "absolutely no danger" to the health of athletes taking part in events that last less than one hour. Not much comfort for marathon runners and cyclists there, then.
The IOC is just a puppet for its corporate 'partners', without whom there would be no Games. There's a lot of money riding on this. These major sponsors pay the IOC's bills for staging the Olympics.
Tell all that to ITN's, Mark Austin, who's been wandering round smoggy Beijing for the last couple of days, with a neat little air pollution monitor. And his readings show pollution is four times the WHO recommended levels.
Rogge urged reporters to distinguish between fog and pollution (as if they didn't know).
The Chinese authorities have a cute Orwellian way of masking the pollution - it's not pollution they say, it's just a misty, foggy day!
London used to have one of those, before strict air pollution controls. It was called a pea-souper and it killed thousands.
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