331 days to go ; Our weekly series counts down to the Games
Smog concerns
As Beijing celebrated the one-year countdown to the 2008 Olympic Games, Olympic chief Jacques Rogge highlighted a major concern. Speaking to the world's press a year to the day before the opening of the Beijing Games, the IOC president mentioned the unwelcome topic of Beijing's air pollution.
It is no secret that the poor quality of the capital's air has worried Olympics organisers for some time. But Dr Rogge's speaking about the problem on news programmes broadcast all over the world showed how serious it has become.
Dr Rogge said that some endurance sports might have to be postponed if Beijing's poor air quality posed problems for athletes. A spokesperson for the Beijing Olympics commented that the concerns had made organisers more determined to work harder to sort out the city's environmental problems before August 2008.
Questions
1 What does the phrase 'a year to the day' mean?
