The American cyclists arrived in Beijing yesterday, and were wearing the masks as they walked off the plane.  While the New York Times is reporting that the masks were issued by the United States Olympic Committee, the British Telegraph is reporting that the US Olympic Committee is asking the cyclists to issue an official apology for wearing the “smog masks.”

The Olympic track cyclists Mike Friedman, Sarah Hammer, Bobby Lea and Jennie Reed were simply covering all their bases, knowing that the air quality was questionable.  From the Times:

“This is really a surprise, because I didn’t think it was going to be such a big deal,” Friedman said. “Why we wore the masks is simple: pollution. When you train your whole life for something, dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s, why wouldn’t you be better safe than sorry?

“They have pollution in Los Angeles, and if the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.”

If China was so insulted by the gesture, maybe they should have actively worked on their pollution problem years, instead of months, ahead of the games.

See the two completely different takes on the story at the Times, and the Telegraph.