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United States athletes arrive at the Beijing Olympic with face masks

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Olympic athletes from United States arrive in Beijing waring face masks to help combat the pollution in the air.

The United Stats Olympic Committee had advised the athletes to ware the masks on the plane and as soon as they stepped foot in Beijing.

The Chinese and the International Olympic Committee have stated that athletes are not at risk from pollution and they have been doing daily test to monitor 5 types of pollutants.
TimothyF

16 responses // United States athletes arrive at the Beijing Olympic with face masks

  • I think the Chinese government should have planned farther ahead to make sure pollution defiantly wasn't going to be an issue by cracking down with more restrictions.
    TimothyF
  • Crazy racist ninja masks.
    chadilac
    1 response to this
  • I feel embarrassed because I am Chinese, but I also feel for the sake of the athletes' health, it's rather necessary to take precaution.

    Anyhow, it's not a nice gesture.
    contact48
  • ouch.
    MissAmanda
  • Oh Dear! That is really rude.

    "Hi! Thanks for doing all this Olympic hosting stuff but, we just won't breath the same air as you do"
    Moopak
    1 response to this
  • If you are from a state that isn't with a major city that has pollution like LA then you are use to the clean country air and therefore wouldn't be use to China's air standards. It's not wrong to want to be as healthy as you were in your home as you are abroad....especially for an event that deals with you being at your physical best.
    J_Jammer
  • i don't think we should be there...
    the pollution is really bad and they already want to kill us so....yeah.
    hopefully,since we've gotta be over there,our athletes don't die from breathing in the polluted air.
    best of luck to them!!!
    BixbyCanyonBridge
  • I was in Beijing for only four days and I was having breathing problems by the time I left.
    Phonoballoons
  • Our athletes shouldn't even be there.
    mookster_07
  • haha, i feel so hardcore!
    i was in Beijing for 2 months with no mask, and i survived just fine thankyou.
    but then again, i was not running in the Olympics...
    (at first i thought it was a bit rude, but then i remembered all the people riding their bikes in Beijing with masks on..)
    absentbree
  • Tacky and in very envious BAD Taste. In 1968 the Olympic games were held in Mexico City, just as polluted and couple of miles up. No athletes and dignitaries were complaining.
    vladbox
    1 response to this
  • ***UPDATE: A group of American cyclists are apologizing to Beijing Olympic organizers after arriving in China's capital wearing face masks.

    Jim Scherr, the U.S. Olympic Committee's chief executive officer says the athletes regret their actions and have written an apology to BOCOG on their own behalf."

    Beijing's air pollution remains a concern with the start of the games approaching. Scherr says masks have been issued to national governing bodies that requested them.

    Sherr said Wednesday that around 200 of his athletes had received masks through the national body, not directly from the U.S. Olympic Committee. He hopes the athletes will not need to use them at all.
    joshzimmerman
  • Was this intended to be a political statement? It certainly has become an iconic incident.

    Hooray public humiliation!
    evervsfinity
  • I arrived in Beijing in March and I must say, judging by the crap I see on the tissue paper now when I clean my nose, Beijing's air has improved significantly. Ask anyone who's been living in Beijing for more than 3 months.
    contact48

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