ONE of the world's most celebrated athletes may pull out of the Beijing Olympics because he fears being harmed by the city's severe air pollution.
Haile Gebrselassie, the world marathon record holder, has asthma and believes running through the streets could damage his health.
"The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42km in my current conditio
n," he said. The Ethiopian runner said he still hoped to compete in the shorter 10,000 metres event.
He later said no final decision had been made on whether to run the marathon.
Gebrselassie's agent, Jos Hermens, said the runner has had problems with his lungs in the past and is known to have a pollen allergy.
Mr Hermens said many racers who had performed in damaging conditions had never returned to their best.
"It may be 1 or 2 per cent (damage), but that means a lot for such an athlete," Mr Hermens said. "And if you look deep into his heart, he wants another marathon record."
He said a final decision on Gebrselassie's participation would be made after a meeting in the Netherlands on 24 May, when the runner would know if he had qualified for the 10,000m race.
The runner, whose marathon record is 2 hours, 4 minutes, 26 seconds, has said he wants to keep running until the 2012 London Games, where the climate would suit him better.
Concerns about Beijing's pollution have dominated preparations for the games. Many countries are to hold their training camps outside China before the Olympics begin on 8 August. British athletes will reportedly wear face masks for their preparations to protect their lungs.
The US boxing team has tried training in the city but found jogging outside was only possible for 30 minutes at a time.
Olympic chief Jacques Rogge last year warned air pollution could lead to some events being postponed.
It is the latest setback for organisers of the showpiece August event, which has been embroiled in controversy over China's human rights record.
Last month Steven Spielberg, the movie director, withdrew from his role as an artistic adviser for the opening ceremony in protest against China's backing for Sudan's policy in Darfur.
Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said air pollution was not only a problem for developing countries. EU targets for traffic pollution were becoming tighter as more evidence emerged of health damage.
"It's highly likely those standards will be breached by a number of cities in Scotland by 2010," he said.
Mr McLaren added: "There is evidence that the life years gained by exercising in our cities exceed those lost by the damage to our health from pollution. But the benefits would be higher if pollution was reduced."
Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: "The World Health Organisation estimated in 2005 that tens of thousands of Europeans die each year because of transport-related pollution, and Scotland is no exception."
FUMES THAT KILL 750,000 A YEARBEIJING has the world's most toxic air – pollution is 12 times the "safe" level set by the World Health Organisation.
China has the 16 most polluted cities in the world. Some 750,000 people a year die from illnesses related to breathing in their foul, fume-filled air.
The country is the world's second biggest producer of carbon dioxide, contributing 16 per cent of total emissions. The only country producing more is the US.
China burns more than two billion tonnes of "dirty" coal a year for cooking and heating, creating toxic clouds of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
China has pledged Beijing's air quality will be up to the standard laid down by the World Health Organisation during the Games.
To cut pollution, a new standard for car emissions was enforced from 1 March, falling into line with the latest European Union standard. A new type of less-polluting petrol will be available, too.
The full article contains 665 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
