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Olympic events won’t be rescheduled

Beijing: With the Olympics just five days away, authorities have ruled out possibility of rescheduling endurance events due to air quality concerns.

“From the statistics we have gathered over the past few days, I believe the likelihood of rescheduling sporting events due to air quality concerns is very low,” Fan Yuansheng, Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) Director for pollution control said.

The Chinese capital continues to see blue skies, thanks to drastic pollution control measures taken to improve air quality in the Chinese capital, which recorded “excellent” results on each of the first three days of August.

As of August 3, the city had recorded 152 “blue sky days” or days with fairly good air quality.

Despite a marginal rise in the average air pollution index from 34 to 35 on Saturday, it remained within “level I,” MEP said, easing concerns over the much talked about air quality in the Chinese capital.

A Beijing weather official has expressed fears about the city being cloudy and possibly hit by shower on the opening day of the mega event.

Detailed weather conditions will only be available by August 6, Guo Hu, Director of the Beijing Meteorological Observatory said. “Continuing heavy rains were unlikely in the days before the Beijing Games,” said Wang Jianjie, Deputy Director of Beijing Meteorological Bureau. — PTI

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