US Olympic Cyclists Fly Into China Wearing Face Masks

Reuters:

BEIJING - Some members of the U.S. cycling squad arrived for the Olympic Games on Tuesday wearing black respiratory masks, apparently concerned over reports of unhealthy levels of air pollution in Beijing.

About half a dozen members of the team, male and female, were pictured wearing close-fitting face masks covering nose and mouth as they went through Beijing airport. One was identified as Mike Friedman, a track cyclist who competes indoors.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

If the Chinese thought it was necessary to shut down factories and curtail traffic they must have some serious air quality problems.B­etter safe than sorry.

[springsm]

They DO have serious pollution problems. To see blue sky is a miracle. And the Olympic Committee KNEW this when they awarded the games. That was my first thought..p­ollution and heat. It will be very hot there at this time of the year. However, those cyclists were IN the airport...­China has some of the nicest airports in the world....a­nd it was damn rude of these guests in this country who are participants to wear masks. Wait til they get to the doors for gosh sakes. Poor babies. Putting the games in China was a very stupid act.....bu­t again, China has the money, the people to do the work, the behavior to make all dissendents disappear, don't care about moving people from their homes, taking water from the farmers, etc. All of this to put on a magnificent show...wit­hout a conscience.

[sa]

how lame.

how classless
to show up at an olympics
insulting your host -
why not just stay home.

they'll drop out of the race later
blaming "bad air."

yet another american disgrace
in the age of bush.

[957]

So they going to wear them during their events too? what a bunch of asses, its an insult to the host country, why did they even show up, they knew the conditions, no their just a few spoiled brats looking for attention who should have their asses thrown out on a plane and head back home.

[KPinSEA]

(a) In an event where your lungs are pretty integral to success, wouldn't you want to minimize any damage to their efficiency before the event starts?

(b) If you walk around Shanghai or Beijing, in my experience, you will see *citizens* wearing off-the-shelf filter masks. Now whether this is due to air pollution, SARS scares, or just being really comfy, it can hardly be an "insult" to the hosts to do what some of their own citizens find practical in the horrific air quality of Beijing.

Personally, in Shanghai my eyes would be burning by mid-afternoon every day. I'm just not used to that level of air pollution.

Kudos to the cyclists for not going along and saying how great the Emperor's new clothes are .... he's still wearing the old, stinky, unhealthy clothes, no matter what NBC and the USOC want the truth to be.

[LeonBNJ]

There has been a lot of hype and some truth about the very bad air in Bejing. They are in a sport of exceptional demands on the lungs and the quality of air. Perhaps their advisiors were being overreactive. It does look insulting to the host country, but finally someone found a way to comment on a critical issue in China.

[GabrielXL]

Why is it an insult if China's own citizens do the same thing. The real fault should lie with the I.O.C. who chose Beijing. It's not like all the issues being mentioned are happening in a vacuum. People knew of these things long before now and still Beijing was chosen. Having said this, I understand that some of these athletes (cyclists) are some of the most self-absorbed of the bunch. Of course, being endurance athletes, you can understand where they're coming from. If this is embarrassing to anyone, it should be the Chinese government. Not these athletes.

[Kevbo68]

They're just air masks not Tiananmen t-shirts or Falun Gong banners. Relax.

Oh, yes. The air is perfectly safe! The Chinese and IOC wouldn't have any reason to lie about that, would they?

Is Christine Todd Whitman on the IOC by any chance?

[larryfishkorn]

Here's hoping Hannibal Lector can bring back the gold to the USA!

[Kevbo68]

You must try the Hunan with a side of fava beans.

[landoffools]

Hey, they were just reacting to encouragement from Little Nancy Armstrong !

[Blutus]

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Once the events start, many will drop out.

The air is simply that bad. And there is nothing China
will be able to do about it.

Except lose face.

Oh the horror!


Stop wasting resources on the Olympics. They are MEANINGLESS.

[springsm]

You are correct. But losing face in China to the chinese is devastating. The common people are proud of these games....a­nd China is not a bad place to visit....j­ust stay out of the Bejing area. Crossing the streets there is like russian roulette with cars. You feel very smug when you make it without incident.

[wjb0965]

Maybe they just wanted to hide their faces in case someone saw them buying EPO from a dealer in the airport. Maybe the masks give them a walking aerodynamic advantage.­...so they get a cab quicker. (were they drafting each other while walking out of the airport?) Maybe they are being paid to promote the new Batman movie in China and this is a costume.

...ok, maybe they are just lame.

[nachlawi]

this is soo lame.

[springsm]

Well that was rude. Geez...I wonder how come we are called "ugly Americans". These cyclists prima dona's or what?

[realityczech4u]

passive-agressive drama queens

[cardineau]

Making an indirect statement about Beijings air quality is rather foolish in view of the fact that the IOC has tested the air quality and finds it OK for the games. Beijing has a high humidity problem which in most cases is and aid to athletic activities. The air quality around Houston and New Orleans is laden with chemical polutants from all of the petro-chemical plants, yet no one here wears masks. The double standard is to try to denigrate China. Sorry ... it didn't work ... you just look stupid and foolish!

[TerryWrist]

Next time I'm going to the US I should hanging a gun on my neck.
Bloody Americans cyclists. what a bunch of wuss.

[sg6297]

"China apologizes for roughing up journalists on eve of Games" - http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080805171811.vz49fe9h&show_article=1

Anything that throws egg all over the face of the Chinese government is welcome in my book. Great job cyclists, here's hoping that this is the first of many disgraces for Chinese dictators during the Olympics.