International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogges has said Beijing is running out of time to tackle bad air quality that could disrupt next year’s Games. He said some Olympic events may have to be put off because of poor air quality.

Jacques Rogge said, ‘Time may be running out, and the conditions required for the athletes competing in endurance disciplines might not be met 100% on a given day.

‘For this reason, we may have to reschedule some events so that the health of athletes is scrupulously protected.’

Far, far more reassuring was Hein Verbruggen, a top International Olympic Committee (IOC) official, who earlier said that pollution could put back some events but described such delays as ‘normal, standard procedure’ that would not detract from the success of the Games.

He stressed, ‘There is nothing, and I repeat nothing, that is of any risk or danger that we see for the organization of next year’s Games.’

Earlier the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) congratulated Beijing on a $12-billion clean-up which had been carried out since it won the right to host the Games in 2001.

Sarah Liao, Hong Kong’s former environment minister, who is an adviser to the Beijing Olympic organizing committee probably summed up the situation the best, ‘For the short period of the Games, air quality will be fine. Our challenge is curbing pollution over the long term.’