The possibility that air pollution issues may cause some of the world’s top sporting stars to miss the Beijing 2008 Olympics resurfaced this week, following comments from women’s world tennis number one and defending Olympic champion, Justine Henin.
Henin, an asthma sufferer, told a Belgian news conference she is
concerned about air pollution at next year's Olympic Games, and was
forced to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing in September this year.
“I have had asthma for a few months now and I felt very bad in New York
at the end of the US Open, so I was really concerned about Beijing,”
she said. “It's true that Beijing is going to be tough at the Olympic
Games with the problem I have, but it seems that everything is under
control which is important because the Olympic Games are a very
important goal for me in 2008.”
Continued poor air quality in Beijing and its potential effects on
athletes' health is a major concern. A report by the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) highlighted concerns about air pollution in the
Chinese capital, although organisers maintain that conditions will
improve before the start of the Games next August.
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