A Lighter View
Commentary From the Editor

Olympians in China and at Home

The 2008 Summer Olympics open in Beijing, China, Monday, August 8, 2008. Beijing has planned long and hard to be a world-class host, yet much controversy surrounds this highly anticipated and ultimate athletic competition.

Slate.com a daily general-interest magazine offering analysis and commentary on politics, news and culture, recently published “Summer Olympics Disaster Guide: What Could Go Wrong in Beijing? Everything (posted July 2, 2008).” While terrorism, locusts, algae and protests over Chinese oppression in Tibet are cited, here are some excerpts from the article describing issues that could involve emergency medical care:

• “Food: The U.S. Olympic team, among other delegations, has raised concerns about the safety of the food in the Olympic Village. In response to a New York Times report that the U.S. team was bringing its own beef, chicken, and pork to Beijing, a Chinese official said that outside food would not be allowed in athletes' lodgings. China might come to regret that decision if a sprinter is seen heaving on the starting line. Chance it could happen: 50 percent. Scary quote: ‘We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive,’ said an American caterer, explaining the potential problem with serving the U.S. team Chinese chicken breasts.”

• “Pollution: The world's top marathon runner won't compete in the Olympic marathon because of concerns about Beijing's toxic air. Pollution worries have also led more than 20 countries to move their pre-Olympic training to Japan. But nobody knows quite what to expect in August. At worst, droves of athletes could make an eleventh-hour exodus on account of not being able to breathe. At the very least, the thick air could make the 200 meters feel like the steeplechase. So far, though, reports out of China point to vastly improving air quality. Beijing's radical anti-pollution measures—shutting down all chemical plants, freezing construction projects, ordering half of the cars off the road—point out what's possible when you have tight state control. Chance it could happen: 90 percent. Scary quote: ‘The magnitude of the pollution in Beijing is not something we know how to deal with. It's a foreign environment. It's like feeding an athlete poison,’ said a respiratory expert assisting American marathoners.”

• “Water: Getting water to Beijing, a landlocked city is a major undertaking. The Chinese government has begun diverting more than 39.6 billion gallons to a dried-up lake near the capital city—a public-works project that has displaced an estimated 300,000 citizens. Northern China has been fighting drought for years, so Beijing's added demands have many Chinese fearing that there won't be enough water to go around. There's also the (slim) possibility of protests by the parched at this year's Games. Chance it could happen: 30 percent. Scary quote: ‘Sometimes you wonder if they need all the water more than us here,’ said Shi Yinzhu, a Chinese sheep herder.”

  Certainly any highly attended event requires strict attention to safety and medical issues, and Beijing has developed large security and medical teams for the Games. Yet, it will require Herculean effort. And, if all goes as planned, the 2008 Games will be triumphant.

  Emergency medical personnel—at the Olympics in China or at the facility where you work—are reality’s Olympians. You manage crowded EDs caring for the injured and the ill everyday, and, more and more often, from natural and manmade disasters. You run the race, meet the challenge, model excellence and always stay the distance—amid increasingly difficult conditions. You truly are highly trained, mentally agile and deserving of the Gold.
  

   

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