Olympic Athletes Shun Beijing to Prepare in Japan

British swimmers will train in Japan ahead of this summer's Olympics amid rising concerns over pollution and food safety in the host city Beijing, a Japanese newspaper claimed today.

In a further blow to Olympic organizers, competitors from seven other countries, including the US, Germany and Ireland, have arranged to prepare for their events in Japan despite the extra expense and travel involved, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

At least a dozen other countries could base some of their sports teams in Japan, the newspaper said, citing sources at the Japanese Olympic Committee.

British Olympic swimmers will prepare in Osaka, Japan's second city and host of last summer's world athletics championships.

The arrangements were reportedly made after a senior official with the British swimming team voiced "anxiety" over the air quality and food safety in Beijing.

But Dave Richards, a British Swimming spokesman, said today that Osaka had been chosen because many British athletes had used its facilities before.

"There are also direct flights from Osaka... and this enables the athletes to train in the morning and then fly into Beijing that afternoon. This limits training time lost," he told the Guardian.

"It's very much in the best interests of the athletes in terms of familiarity, convenience and quality of the training venue in Osaka."

Japanese towns and cities reportedly lobbied the ambassadors of several countries during a preparatory meeting for July's G8 meeting in Hokkaido, northern Japan, with some offering the to pay athletes' transportation and other costs.

Sports officials from several countries reportedly said they would prefer their athletes to steer clear of the Chinese capital until the games get under way. "I want to avoid the risk of a long stay in Beijing," a senior official with the Finnish rowing team was quoted as saying.

Sweden, meanwhile, plans to send 150 athletes in 19 sports to the south-western Japanese city of Fukuoka.

With just over 200 days left before the start of Asia's first summer Olympics for 20 years, the decision to shun local training facilities is an embarrassment to organisers in Beijing.

It is customary for athletes to train in the games' host country to acclimatize and familiarize themselves with the facilities, but Beijing's notorious smog threatens to send even more athletes to Japan.

Beijing says it is tackling the city's pollution problem, although British athletes competing outdoors will wear specially designed protective masks during training and warm-ups.

Chinese authorities said yesterday they had completed a comprehensive food safety campaign in the response to widespread international criticism, and that only approved companies would be permitted to supply food for the Olympics.