IAAF unconcerned about further withdrawals

Nick Davies, communications director for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), has moved to allay fears that pollution may cause further athletes to withdraw from this year’s Beijing Olympics – a day after world record holder Haile Gebrselassie decided not to run the marathon.

The 34-year-old Ethiopian, who suffers from asthma, revealed on Monday that he had decided not to compete in the marathon and focus on the shorter 10,000 metres event after consultation with medical experts.

The news came as a major blow to organisers of the Olympics, as they seek to reassure athletes their health will not be at risk by competing in China.

Despite Gebrselassie’s decision, Davies remains confident other athletes will not follow suit citing English marathon runner Paula Radcliffe – who is also asthmatic – as an example.

“I have recently spoken to Haile’s trainer and he said his decision was a combination of things. It is not just the pollution that is a factor for him but also the heat and humidity that he might encounter in Beijing,” he said.

“On the medical advice he has received he was told that from the 30-40 kilometre mark he would be more affected than other athletes at the time. In the end it was a personal choice.

He added: “I think the decision of an athlete to run depends on their motivation. In the case of Haile he is already a two-time Olympic title holder, maybe his motivation therefore is not as great.

“You look at someone like Paula Radcliffe who is also an asthmatic, who is fair-skinned and from northern Europe, then she is one of the most likely to be affected by the conditions. She has that motivation to win an Olympic marathon. It is after all the Olympics and athletes want to be there.”

Chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) medical commission, Professor Arne Ljungqvist is set to release a dossier of information regarding the air quality in Beijing in the coming week.

The Swede recently returned from a visit to the Chinese capital and Davies, who briefly met with Ljungqvist during the recently-completed World Indoor Championships in Valencia, is hopeful the guidelines set out in his findings will alleviate athletes’ fears and help ensure their presence in China.

“The IAAF will be keeping a close eye on what Arne Ljungqvist has to say in his report because that will provide a summation of what the reality is, while also providing the athletes with enough information so that they are aware of the situation,” Davies said.

“I met Arne briefly in Valencia and he said that with all the attention that Beijing has received regarding pollution, the conditions may in fact be better than in previous Olympics because of the initiatives being put in place.”

On Tuesday, Chinese officials were prompted to reiterate those initiatives following Gebrselassie’s withdrawal.

Deputy chief of the State Environmental Protection Administration, Zhang Lijun, indicated he had full confidence in their anti-pollution plans.

The plans, which were given approval by China’s cabinet last September, include Beijing and its five surrounding provinces cutting operations to reduce industrial pollutants, while also recommending reducing the number of private vehicles in use by banning cars with registrations ending in odd and even numbers on alternate days.

“Our experts predicted that the standard of air quality can be guaranteed and the commitment we made could be fulfilled after this plan is realised,” he said at a news conference at the annual session of the National People’s Congress.

“So far, the mission of cutting down pollution and adjusting industrial structure has been largely done and will be fully completed by the end of June.”

In what has become a public relations exercise to reassure not only the athletes, but also the public, an IOC spokeswoman confirmed the organisation was set to release further information regarding the air quality in Beijing during the coming weeks.

“We can say that we are working very closely with the organisers in Beijing to ensure the air quality in August will be at an acceptable level,” she said.

“We have recently received new air quality data from the organisers so that we can analyse the prospect of the air quality in August. We are currently studying those figures and we will be able to provide more clarity on the situation in the coming weeks.”

The spokeswoman also confirmed the endurance events such as the marathon and triathlon would not be moved away from Beijing.

“No, that will not happen, the events will remain in Beijing,” she said.

“The president (Jacques Rogge) has been quite vocal on this subject and he has said that should the need arise then we might consider rescheduling the endurance competitions by hours or until the next day.

“It is important to say that the health of the athletes is the top priority.”