Beijing 2008...

People walking on the streets of Beijing know that it will be extremely difficult for an high competition athlete to practice in the city, let alone try to be the best in the most important competition in the world - The Olympic Games.

The smoke is a constant and there are days in which at three o'clock it is already necessary to put the car lights on so that they can circulate in the city. We might be led to think that there is a fire somewhere, but the scenario is current.

The fact is that the many obsolete factories expell toxic smokes into the atmosphere. Armament, electronic products and the chemical industry are the worst contributors to this heavy line of pollution.

Most inhabitants wear masks, and everybody is aware that walking in the city is the equivalent to smoking four packets of cigarettes

Meetings with the different national olympic committees are starting to bother the Chinese government, as there are several delegations that say that unless the pollution levels diminish they won't participate in the event. So, the Chinese authorities are making efforts to clear the city from that cloudy dark atmosphere. They claim that in 2008 the sky will be bright and blue not only in Beijing but around the capital.

The government is enforcing some laws to clear the city from the polluting sources as well as encouraging industrialists to recycle the industrial waste. At the same time, the sanitary authorities are inspecting restaurants and public facilities to increase hygiene and safety for all the foreign visitors expected during the next Olympic Games.

I do hope they are successful for the sake of the athletes health and to enhance the beauty of the Olympic Games in 2008.