The four US track cyclists who showed up at the Beijing airport wearing protective face masks have issued an apology to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.
They're the wrong people to apologize. The International Olympic Committee should be apologizing to all the athletes at these Summer Games for choosing a site with such notoriously bad air quality.
But it is Michael Friedman, Sarah Hammer, Bobby Lea and Jennie Reed who are apologizing. US Olympic Committee chairman Jim Scherr said the four cyclists came forward on their own volition and were not coerced. The apology:
“Following our arrival on Tuesday, we offer our sincere apologies to BOCOG, the city of Beijing, and the people of China if our actions were in any way offensive. That was not our intent.
“The wearing of protective masks upon our arrival into Beijing was strictly a precautionary measure we as athletes chose to take, and was in no way meant to serve as an environmental or political statement. We deeply regret the nature of our choices. Our decision was not intended to insult BOCOG or countless others who have put forth a tremendous amount of effort to improve the air quality in Beijing.
“We are extremely honored to be a part of the U.S. Olympic Team and feel privileged to represent the United States abroad both on and off the field of play. We look forward to putting this incident behind us while we prepare for our competition next week.”
I don't get it. The Chinese government knows the air in Beijing is polluted. They've shut down all the factories in the region and curbed half the area's cars to try to keep it in check. They shouldn't be surprised when athletes show up wearing masks to protect their lungs.
While the US Olympic Committee were unhappy with the athletes' choice, who handed out the masks in the first place? The US Olympic Committee.
The New York Times reports that the USOC's lead physiologist, Randy Wilber, suggested the athletes wear the masks on the plane and after they arrived.
Dr. David Christiani, a professor of occupational medicine and epidemiology at Harvard, was interviewed recently on PBS about Beijing's pollution. Here's how the pollution works on the lungs:
“Even a healthy, high-performance athlete in much better physical condition than the rest of us can experience immediately or in the short term this bronchospasm, can start to develop phlegm from inflammation from days or weeks of working out, and it can significantly decrease their performance.”
Track cyclist Friedman told the Times that a USOC official, whose name they didn't catch, chastised them for using the masks. He explained why they wore them:
“Why we wore the masks is simple: pollution. When you train your whole life for something, dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s, why wouldn’t you be better safe than sorry?
“They have pollution in Los Angeles, and if the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.”
USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel told the Times he wasn't aware of a reprimand and said they're free to wear the masks around the Olympic Village.
“I’m no scientific expert, but walking through an airport doesn’t seem like the place where it would be necessary to wear them.”
No. He's no scientific expert. He only needs his lungs when he's spinning the news to reporters.
The US athletes, and those from any country, should be allowed to take whatever precautions they feel necessary to protect their lungs. They've worked hard so we'll be proud of them and their performance.
The USOC shouldn't make them feel guilty for taking care of themselves.
See also: How Olympics cyclists are dealing with Beijing's air pollution
Tipped to the video at Bicycle Net
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