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Bad air forces elite couple to quit HK

You can't gamble with the well-being of your child - Gary Mandy

Former international triathletes Gary and Gia Mandy are to abandon their Hong Kong home of six years because of the 'hazardous' levels of pollution.

The 'fittest married couple in Hong Kong' fear for their health and that of their 15-month-old daughter, Ella, and will move to the blue skies and clean air of northwest United States.

The Mandys have already left Hong Kong to train in South Africa, where Gia hopes to pursue her dream of qualifying for the US marathon team. Gia, 28, is a former member of the US triathlon squad and the fastest distance runner in Hong Kong. She has already shunned the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon because of the pollution.

Gia said: 'What's been so hard is to question exactly what the air pollution will do to Ella and also to us in the long run. We're natural people, We try to avoid all harmful substances, so to think the air we depend on for life itself is poisoned means it's time to do something positive about it. The only thing we can do is to leave.'

Gary, 35, is a former member of the South African triathlon squad and still competes in top-level competitions. He not only inhales the toxic cocktails while running in Hong Kong but sees them as well in his job as a pilot. 'We descend from a beautiful blue sky and then fly through a thick, grey blanket of smog as we approach Hong Kong,' he said. 'What you can see with the naked eye tells it all. It's depressing. The coming three months will be the worst, as the season changes from winter to summer.

'I've become well aware of the effects of the air pollution when training and competing in local events, and also immediately after those events as my recovery rate takes longer. I actually suffer for days after competing in local athletic events staged on badly polluted days because of all of the toxins I've breathed in.

'When the pollution level is very high I don't train outdoors - it's just too dangerous. I go to the pool and swim lengths or go to the gym and spend some time on the treadmill. It's a great shame as both Gia and I are outdoor people. It doesn't make sense we shouldn't be able to enjoy the Hong Kong countryside because the air we breathe is now such a health hazard.

'We're very lucky we can move away from the air pollution and the associated health problems it's now creating,' said Gary. 'Most people in Hong Kong do not have the same opportunity we do.'

Another leading runner and Hong Kong representative, Mark Williams, moved his family to the greener pastures of New Zealand last June, saying he was sick of breathing 'foul air' after spending eight years in Hong Kong. 'For my children to continue to grow up in the foul air we all now have to breathe is simply wrong,' said Williams, who added his health had suffered too.

The Mandys had been living blissfully in Hong Kong and were married in 2004. They both thought life was going to get even better when daughter Ella was born in November the following year. But then the problems began.

'I was worried about Ella's health right from day one,' said Gia. 'She's been wheezing and coughing since the day she was born.'

While an otherwise healthy child, she continues to suffer from respiratory problems. The family took a holiday in the US several months ago and suddenly saw a vast improvement in Ella's health. 'She stopped coughing and wheezing as soon as she had access to clean air,' said Gia. 'But as soon as we got back to Hong Kong the problems started all over again.'

Gia had planned to run the 21.1km half-marathon in next month's Standard Chartered Marathon as part of her preparation to qualify for a place in the US marathon trials. Success in the trials could lead to a place in the US team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

'The timing of the Standard Chartered event fitted in perfectly with my training programme and I was planning to run the race in preparation for a US marathon that would hopefully see me run a qualifying time to make the US marathon trials,' Gia said. 'I did, however, factor in a contingency plan not to run in the event if the air pollution was unacceptably high on the day.'

To chase her Olympic dream, the Mandys have now gone to South Africa and will spend the next two months training in unpolluted air. Gia will compete in the Two Oceans race in Cape Town. She will return to Hong Kong in late April and start packing for the one-way journey to Eugene, Oregon.

'Socially Hong Kong is a fantastic place to live, and we've formed many strong friendships here,' Gary said. 'It will be tough to leave it all behind, but you can't gamble with the health and well-being of your child.'

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