Olympic notes

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A Green Olympics. Beijing remains confident that its plan to remove thousands of cars, trucks and other vehicles from its roads will dramatically reduce air pollution. But Olympic cohost city Qingdao now has its eyes on another environmental problem -- a sudden algae

bloom on coastal waters that will be used for Olympic sailing events. Qingdao is asking coastal cities to help remove the stuff.

Cause and effect. The New York Times reports that while just one Iraqi athlete, a weight lifter, has qualified for the Beijing Games, the country has a ‘robust’ Paralympic squad.
‘’As a country that participated in many wars since 1980, we have many disabled people,’’ Ahmed Abid Hassan, a wheelchair fencing coach, told the newspaper. ‘’Our Paralympic team is better than our Olympic team.’

The Olympic journey. Reuters reports that 24 countries will send their Olympic teams to Japan before the Beijing Games. Reasons range from the mundane (there is only a one hour time difference) to the profound (concern over air pollution). Sweden, for example, will send about 150 athletes, coaches and support staff to Fukuoka, a seaside city that has direct flights to Beijing.

-- Greg Johnson