Pre-Olympic test events in Beijing pass the test

BEIJING — The praise was as thick as the pollution.

Over two weeks of test events for the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing trumpeted its readiness and downplayed a host of concerns — including the capital's environmental problems.

The latest venue to get an Olympic seal of approval was the Wukesong Baseball Field, where Japan beat host China on Thursday in the final of a four-team tournament.

Like the rowing, canoeing, beach volleyball, archery and sailing venues, the facility on Beijing's western edge impressed.

"This being a test event, I couldn't be happier," said Murray Cook of the IBAF, world baseball's governing body.

"All we need is to do more training of the management of facility, training of groundkeepers, those who take care of the stadium," he said. Beijing's test events were "going more smoothly,".

Air pollution has been a worry for Beijing as it gears up for the Games, to be held Aug. 8-24, 2008. Jammed traffic and the possibility of protests by critics of the communist regime are also concerns.

To try to tackle the pollution, Olympic organizers set aside four days during the test events when more than 1 million private vehicles a day were kept off Beijing's gridlocked streets.

It was a partial success. Humidity and wind conditions kept the pollution from dispersing, but the air during the four-day drill would have been much worse without the vehicle restrictions, said Du Shaozhong, the deputy director of the Chinese capital's Environmental Protection Bureau.

"The test was successful. These four days the wind speed was slow, while the humidity and temperature were high," Du told reporters, noting a gray sky doesn't necessarily mean high levels of pollutants.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge warned during a visit this month that the competition schedule might have to be juggled on days when pollution was bad.

But the test events left no doubts the 37 venues will set new Olympic standards. China is spending $40 billion to remake the capital, although only a fraction of that will be invested in venues, with the rest going to new subways, roads, parks and other infrastructure.

Typical of the cutting edge designs and roomy facilities was the Shunyi rowing center in Beijing's northeast corner, which hosted the first test event, the World Rowing Junior Championships.