Special Message Delivery to the Far East: Screw China!

So it turns out that the Chinese Orympic delegation was somewhat “put off” because some of our American cycling athletes decided to try to keep their lungs in “better than Marlboro Man” shape for their competition by “masking up” (prudently) upon arrival in the Smoke Barrel that is Beijing.  Here’s the related article.

So of course, our US Olympic Committee, obviously in fear of getting “The Jack Bauer treatment” gets all “we so solly” and shit, and then writes a letter of apology for these guys. Can you imagine what that looked like?

“Um… yeah, sorry Chinese Authoritah dudes, but no one told us we’d be time machining back to Early Industrial Yorkshire, ovah heah, so we took some preliminary precautions. The US Olympic Committee presently lip-locked to your ass had no knowledge of this shameful act, we assure you. We’ll endeavor to breathe as little as possible outdoors for the remains of our trip. Yours truly, etc. etc.”

My view? Just because you managed to pay off the most corrupt politically compromised body in the globe (sorry Mr. Anan, perhaps next year) and “land” the Orympics as your showcase for the “new China” (press and internet access restricted, of course) does not mean that the athletes who choose to participate need to subject themselves to Dickensian coal mine conditions unassisted in order for you to “save face.” Move your events to Inner Mongolia if you don’t want the world to know your shit is smoggier than an Atlanta Airport Smoker’s lounge, sans the fat people. Leave the guys risking lung cancer alone.

Further reading on the “Pollution Olympics” from the WSJ.

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