I hear that NBC is clamping down on anyone trying to write about the Olympics, but let them write me up.

One of the great concerns about the upcoming Olympics in China is the issue of pollution, notable air and water.  The latest news is about water problems in the city of Qingdao where news about the Sailing Regatta having issues is starting to make headlines.  From today’s International Herald Tribune:

With less than six weeks before it plays host to the Olympic sailing regatta, the city of Qingdao has mobilized thousands of people and an armada of small boats to clean up an algae bloom that is choking large stretches of the coastline and threatening to impede the Olympic competition.

Local officials have initiated an all-out effort to clean up the algae by mid-July. Media reports estimate that as many as 20,000 people have either volunteered or been ordered to participate in the operation, while 1,000 boats are scooping algae out of the Yellow Sea. The official news agency, Xinhua, report.ed that algae currently covered a third of the coastal waters designated for the Olympic races.

Read the entire article here

Sorry, having been in China a few times, I am expecting these stories to become more and more frequent.