Spy Drones, Algae, and Dirty Air - Sailing at the Olympics

Qingdao, China - The Olympic sailing teams won't be out on the water alone at this summer's Olympic games. Chinese security forces will have spy planes keeping tabs on the Olympic sailing venue in Qingdao. The unmanned aircraft will be transmitting photos and videos back to the armed police force command stations, to "watch for suspicious activities" according to officials in China. Providing a proper level of security is required of the host country, and with the high amount of smog in the area, visibility from shore stations is nearly impossible.

The low altitude spy planes are able to fly over all the sailing courses in Qingdao, staying in the air for an hour at a time. The 3.3' (1m) long, low noise reconiassance planes cost China around $146,000 (£74,000) each. Two of the drones tested successfully last week, when two police personnel remotely piloted the reconnaissance aircraft from a building more than 50 meters away - watching the action on the water play out a screen at their ground station. The total number of unmanned aircraft dispatched during the Olympic games was not released by the police forces, as it is deemed a matter of "operational security."

464 athletes from all over the world are arriving in Qingdao for the Olympic sailing events, and Qingdao as well as Beijing will hold opening and closing ceremonies for this year's Olympics, so security will be extra tight for the sailors there. An anti-terrorist force of nearly 100,000 commandos, police and army troops will be patrolling the ground, skies, and maritime safety of the coastal venues in Qingdao and the other host cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile the clean up of the Olympic Goo continues. Thousands are working to clear the algae bloom which many say continues to cover one third of the Olympic sailing venue, where the competition begins on August 9th. The bloom is most likely caused by pollution, a very real and persistent problem along the highly industrialized east coast of China. In fact, smog has become such a major problem for the Olympics that some venues are considering limiting athletic events to protect athletes from unnecessary exposure. Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, has said some outdoor endurance events lasting more than an hour will be postponed if the air quality is poor. He has not yet commented publicly on the water quality in Qingdao.

Beijing's Environmental Protection Bureau said it was not worried about pollution during the Olympic Games. “We have confidence that we will ensure air quality,” said Zhai Xiaohui, an official at the bureau. Authorities have implemented steps designed to improve air quality during the Games, banning 300,000 highly polluting vehicles, and temporarily closing down some factories and enterprises. In fact, Beijing News reported that thousands of businesses, including 145 cement mixing stations, 506 auto repair businesses, and 357 dry-cleaning shops have been shut down, and yet the pollution continues.

Beijing is known as one of the world's most polluted cities, and while China hopes the steps it is taking will ensure clean air, locals report that they have only seen blue skies a handful of times over the past few weeks. For once, it's not just the sailiors hoping for a decent breeze.

- YC for YachtPals.com

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Olympic Sailing

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• Olympic Goo - Algae Invades Qingdao Sailing Venue
• Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics - Sailing

Olympic Sailing Video: The local government and community pitch in to clean up the algae in Qingdao before the upcoming 2008 Olympic Sailing events.