Authorities in Beijing had commissioned a panel of foreign environmental specialists to lend pollution monitoring and forecasts credibility during the Games from August 8-24, state media reported yesterday.
Fifty days before the opening ceremony, Beijing was again shrouded in smog yesterday in a graphic reminder of how much remains to be done to clear the city's skies for the Olympics and the Paralympic Games that follow in September.
This marks the first time foreigners have joined the Chinese capital's fight to improve air quality.
The vice-director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, Du Shaozhong, told Xinhua news agency, ''This panel will ensure the air quality monitoring and forecasts are publicised and authoritative because we have both domestic and foreign experts.''
Environmental commentators have in the past cast doubts on Beijing's claims of improvement in air quality, particularly the much-vaunted tally of ''blue sky days'' tally the authorities use to measure improvement.
The 12-person panel, including scientists from Hong Kong, the US and Italy, would monitor and forecast air quality in Beijing during the Olympics and evaluate actions already taken to improve air quality, Xinhua reported.
The panel will be headed by Tang Xiaoyan, of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who promised forecasts up to a week in advance.
''If the forecast shows a bad situation we will take strict actions to control pollution, like limiting vehicles on the road and limiting vehicles from outside coming into Beijing,'' he said.
Beijing has spent 140 billion yuan ($A21.5 billion) on environmental improvements over the past decade, shutting down heavily polluting factories, switching tens of thousands of homes from oil to gas heating and imposing higher emission standards on vehicles.
But the problem persists, particularly when there is no wind as was the case yesterday.
The International Olympic Committee has said it might reschedule endurance events such as the marathon to remove health risks to athletes competing for more than an hour.
Beijing will also close more factories and force 19 heavy polluters to reduce emissions by 30 per cent for two months from July 20.
Six surrounding provinces also have contingency plans. Reuters