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working. It started with a routine deep breath on a descent to recover a bit, which produced a sharp pain and fit of hacking then progressed rapidly to a state where I was unable to take more than one quarter of a breath, even that producing coughing, hacking, spitting up all sorts of gross stuff and feeling nauseous..."

Sport, competitions of athletic prowess, are supposed to be a pure representation of the abilities of the human body. And the Olympics, especially, are intended to be a showcase of all that is good in the world. The union of the global village for peaceful contests for patriotic pride... but what pride is there if the athletes are being tortured in this quest for goodwill?

What is the motive of the IOC in awarding the 2008 Olympic bid to a city where its competitors will have a hard time breathing? This is not intended to be a political rant. There are many reasons why Beijing might not have been the wisest choice of Olympic venues. But the most important and most relevant to the issue at present is the health of the athletes. Certainly China, as the most populous nation on Earth and one of the world's power players, deserves to showcase its nation to the world through the guise of the Olympics. But it can provide all the security against terrorist attacks and all the hotel rooms for fans and all the venues it can build and, yet, it still cannot provide the one thing essential for the contest: a place to perform free from power-purging particulates of pollution.

Craig's report indicated that Chinese officials have been closing factories, curbing automobile use and experimenting with a cloud-seeding program to wash the particulate matter from the skies. Only the inevitability of the Olympics in its home could get China to take efforts to reduce its pollution. But why should China be so polluted in the first place?

I take a look at my cycling gear. Shoes? Made in China. Other pair of shoes? Made in China. Helmets? Both Made in China. Gloves... shorts... jersey? You guessed it... Made in China. Beijing has become the hub of the world's cheap manufacturing. The upward mobility of Chinese society is borne on its export might. And materials are not being made cheap by seeking the latest innovations in pollution-reducing production...

Hopefully the Chinese can manage to get pollution levels down to a point where a majority of athletes can manage to perform their feats properly on the world stage. Hopefully the Olympics will be a springboard to kick-start a more ecologically-sound worldview, in China and around the globe. For it would certainly be a shame if the Olympic Games were reduced to a race for survival, the winner being the person whose body could handle the most acrid air, instead of a race to see who is the fastest and strongest...

Learn more about this author, Zach Bigalke.
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