The four U.S. cyclists who apologized to the government for wearing masks in Beijing should withdraw their statements. Saving face is less important than saving their lungs.
This is not a matter of criticizing China for its pollution problems but an issue of personal health. China may have spent $20 billion greening Beijing for the Aug. 8-24 Olympic Games and imposed strict controls on driving in the last month, but the measures failed.
An Associated Press report shows that the worst type of pollutant, a tiny dust particle, pervades the city’s air at levels way above those recommended by the World Health Organization as safe.
This should be reason for China to apologize to attendees and visitors and is a source of embarrassment and shame for its leaders — not an occasion for elite athletes to apologize for offending the country.
Jim Scherr, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s chief executive officer, should have advised the athletes to say nothing. Instead, he issued a conciliatory statement about their decision meant to appease China: “They now realize and understand how their actions were perceived by the host nation and by the organizing committee.”
Downplaying the smog may alleviate short-term U.S.-Chinese tensions. But it does nothing to help the residents of Beijing, who won’t just cough for a few weeks, but will suffer long-term health problems from pollution its leaders would rather hide than clean up.
