Pollution threatens Beijing Olympics

BEIJING: Children and the elderly in Beijing were advised to stay indoors as thick smog choked the city on Friday, a day after the top Olympic official warned pollution could disrupt next year's Games.

Beijing's top weather official, Sun Jisong, said old and young risked contracting respiratory diseases if they went outside. "Wear a face mask if you have to go out today," the official Xinhua news agency quoted 'Sun' as telling all Beijingers.

Xinhua blamed a heavy fog that had enveloped Beijing for trapping the pollution, and the smog caused havoc across the city on Friday. Major highways leading into the Chinese capital, one of the world's most polluted cities, were closed, with visibility reduced to 50 metres in some areas, state press reported.

Thousands of passengers were also stranded at Beijing's Capital International Airport in the northeast as the thick grey haze shrouded the runways and forced flight delays, witnesses said.

The spike in Beijing's environmental problems came a day after International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge said that events at next year's Olympics could be delayed because of pollution. Rogge said Beijing had worked hard to improve its pollution woes but could still fall short of ensuring clean air for athletes.