IOC considers postponing events

THE International Olympic Committee is to set up a special panel to recommend the postponement of events at the Beijing Olympics in case of heavy pollution.

IOC medical commission chairman Arne Ljungqvist, announcing the IOC's analysis of air quality data for Beijing, said the body would be formed with representatives from his commission and from sports federations.
“We have to have a mechanism in place to provide the coordination commission with the facts,” he said, referring to the IOC commission that would issue the decision.
Ljungqvist said that Olympic events had been postponed before, but never because of pollution.
“This is the first time that air pollution has become an issue and we have taken the issue seriously,” he said.
“We have conducted this analysis in order to be prepared to be able to take an action should facts arise which suggest we postpone an event.”
Beijing is one of the world's most polluted cities and athletes and officials have expressed concern about poor air quality during the August 8-24 Games.
Four independent scientists conducted the analysis for the IOC using data provided by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau that was collected between August 8-29 last year, a comparable period to the August Games, Ljungqvist said.
He said the data turned out better than he expected and he believed the Olympics would be free from pollution worries.
“My feeling is and my conclusion is we will probably face heat and humidity being the major issue rather than pollution in the air,” he said.
Those most likely to suffer from pollution were marathon runners, cyclists, long-distance race walkers and others engaged in endurance events, he said.
“But it is not so much a health risk. The risk is more related to the fact that they may not perform at the best level,” he said.
However, athletes suffering from respiratory problems such as asthma may suffer more, particularly in Beijing's high temperatures and high humidity.
Haile Gebrselassie, an asthma sufferer, said last week he planned to skip the Olympic marathon because of pollution worries.
“It is a private decision that he has taken and he will have to explain,” said Ljungqvist. “I would not say that his decision should be the gold standard for others.”

Australia will not boycott Games

THE Australian Olympic Committee will not support any boycott of the Beijing Olympics over human rights concerns.

Unrest in Tibet has raised the prospect of protests or possible boycotts of the Games, which start on August 8.
But AOC president John Coates believes boycotting the Games would achieve nothing, except to shatter the dreams of athletes who have devoted years of their lives to training.
"Australia has participated in every Olympic Games of the modern era and the Games in Beijing will be no different," Coates said in a letter released yesterday.
Coates described the Olympics as "a force for good" that would bring greater scrutiny to China's behaviour as a nation. "They have a positive impact on society and a positive impact on the host cities and countries," he said.
"The fact that the Games in Beijing put the spotlight on the country, thereby encouraging discussion on issues of interest to the global community, is a positive outcome of bringing the Olympic movement to China.
"It is not the role of the IOC to take the lead in addressing such issues as human rights or political matters, which are most appropriately addressed by governments or concerned organisations."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will raise concerns over human rights in Tibet when he visits Beijing next month.
Coates will lead a contingent of about 460 athletes to the Beijing Olympics.

Tourists to tramp the Light Horse trail

THE Israeli Government will help fund the development of a 60-kilometre Anzac Trail to commemorate Australia's First World War veterans.

The trail will enable Australian tourists to follow in the footsteps of the Anzac soldiers who fought across then-British-occupied Palestine from 1915 to 1917.

The trail will begin at the current Anzac Monument, near Gaza, and finish at the site of a new monument to commemorate the charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba.

Brigadier-General William Grant's famous sunset charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade on Beersheba in October 1917 is considered one of the greatest victories in Australian military history. Amid heavy fire, the surprise attack succeeded in capturing the water wells vital to troop movement through the Middle East.

The Australian Light Horsemen were ideally suited to the conditions, many coming from bush backgrounds.

The men were accomplished horsemen used to riding long and hard, but they also were trained to fight on foot. They fought at Gallipoli, without their horses, before it was realised they were better suited to the dry and dusty Middle East.

Next month, Governor-General Michael Jeffery will unveil the new monument at Beersheba.

The trail, which can be travelled by car as well as on foot, will include about 20 tourist stops and other features describing the charge of the Light Horse Brigade.

Tick disaster after fresh AQIS bungle

AN embarrassing bungle by Australian quarantine authorities has exposed the entire New Caledonian beef herd to the potentially disastrous tick fever and could leave taxpayers with the cost of a major clean-up.

Agriculture Minister Tony Burke revealed yesterday that the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service had allowed Australian cattle to be exported to the island nation last year after being vaccinated against the disease.
Cattle vaccinated with the disease can pass it on to ticks and New Caledonian import laws require cattle to instead be drenched to kill ticks.
Mr Burke said the cattle exported from Australia on November 23 last year had infected ticks in New Caledonia, which were passing the disease to local cattle.
The bungle follows widespread criticism of AQIS last year after equine influenza entered Australia and paralysed the multi-million-dollar racing industry for months.
The equine influenza affair is being examined in detail by former High Court judge Ian Callinan. And AQIS is facing a wider review by Roger Beale, a former secretary of the Department of Environment and Heritage.
Tick fever, also known as babesiosis, can devastate cattle herds.
It occurs in eastern and northern Australia and despite being under control, costs the Australian beef industry up to $28 million a year.
Mr Burke met French ambassador Francois Descoueyte late yesterday to discuss Australian efforts to repair the damage caused by the bungle.
He earlier told parliament it was possible to treat affected cattle in New Caledonia with a chemical called Imazol, which would kill the tick fever organisms in the cattle and prevent further transmission of the disease to ticks.
However, it is understood Mr Burke was continuing to meet exporters last night about the more serious problem of eradicating the disease among the New Caledonian tick population.
"I am advised that the export of vaccinated cattle to New Caledonia has allowed the disease to enter their tick population and cause a disease outbreak in their local cattle," Mr Burke told parliament earlier.
"While information on this issue is still coming to hand, it seems clear, first of all, that there was a certification error by AQIS, and that as a result of that error there may be a significant impact on the beef industry in New Caledonia."
He said the Government was working with the Queensland Tick Fever Centre.
It was unclear last night about the cost of the clean-up program or whether New Caledonian cattle producers would have any case for compensation because of the AQIS error.
Sources said attention was instead being focused on finalising treatment plans.
Mr Burke said he would ensure that Australia met all of its obligations to New Caledonia.
And he said he hoped the Beale review into AQIS would help strengthen Australia's quarantine arrangements.
"It is critically important both for the protection of biosecurity in Australia and for our neighbouring countries to which we provide a service under agreed protocols that our quarantine and biosecurity services are robust," he said.
A spokesman for Mr Descoueyte last night confirmed the ambassador met Mr Burke late yesterday. The pair had agreed to work together on tick fever problem, particularly through co-operation between their respective science agencies.
"We are still establishing the facts of the situation," the spokeswoman said.

A message from Tasmanian DPI

With the horse flu outbreak now over - well, the last "infected" zone in Queensland is scheduled to go* *"Green" (unrestricted) by 20 March - there'll hopefully be no need for any more EI updates to be emailed out to you. You supplied your email address for the specific purpose of receiving these updates and no other purpose, so we'll be wiping the
emailing list shortly.

Eradicating a full blown outbreak of horse flu has been a remarkable achievement. Almost all horse owners and others in the horse sector did everything absolutely right, in terms of their biosecurity responsibilities, during the outbreak - and that, more than anything else, made the eradication campaign a success. On behalf of the EI disease control team here in Tasmania, I'd like to thank you and your fellow horse lovers for the significant part you played in keeping this disease out of Tassie.

Also, thanks to those of you who organised the public meetings or who passed on our EI updates around your clubs, the blogsites and elsewhere. That helped keep the horse community up-to-date and also countered some of the misinformation that popped up every now and then.

Finally, thanks to those of you who contacted me for information during the outbreak. I hope the answers you got were what you needed and, importantly, got back to you quickly.

I trust that life has returned to normal for you and your horse. And that good biosecurity continues to happen at events, on your property etc even when this EI outbreak has become a distant memory !!

Best wishes

Barry Calderbank
Communications
Biosecurity and Product Integrity
DPIW Hobart
ph 6233 6519 or 0407 858 293