BJ's 2nd Olympic Games to Be Smoke-Free ... This Time for Real

Beijing looks to implement strict anti-smoking controls during the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games – although it shouldn't point to its "smoke-free legacy" as evidence.

The initiative will ban smoking throughout the Olympic Village – including stadiums, bars, and restaurants – while also prohibiting cigarette use at Olympic venues located throughout the greater Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, reported China Daily.

Additionally, the 2022 Olympic Games will promote anti-smoking initiatives during broadcasts and on scoreboards instead of featuring any sponsorships from tobacco companies.

Made in advance of World No-Tobacco Day on May 31, the Olympic smoke-free initiative comes as officials from the three regions unveiled its latest public campaign: a second-hand smoke awareness program called "A healthy life is my right."

Officials at Tuesday's event hailed the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics for cracking down on smoking.

While Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control tobacco control director Duan Jiali noted that "Beijing imposed comprehensive tobacco controls during the 2008 Games," Chinese Association on Tobacco Control deputy director Jiang Yuan drew a direct correlation between hosting the Games and their aftereffects.

"Beijing has proved that the 2008 Olympics tobacco control legacy－which includes legislation, capacity building, management experience, and public awareness－could be fully inherited after the games," said Jiang.

Beijing has proved that the 2008 Olympics tobacco control legacy－which includes legislation, capacity building, management experience, and public awareness－could be fully inherited after the games.

Although these policies undoubtly helped pave the way for its 2015 indoor smoking ban, Beijing's Olympic legacy is also known for something else: broken promises.

Despite assurances from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that China would deliver a "smoke-free Olympics," authorities later admitted that such a policy was "impossible."

"Smoking is closely related to people's lifestyle, and particularly, Beijing has a large smoking population," explained Beijing Legislation Office Deputy Director Li Lingyan.

"Therefore in some places like catering and Internet cafes, we are not able to completely eradicate tobacco. It's impossible."

Beijing authorities had written to 30,000 restaurants asking them to enforce smoking bans but nobody responded, reported state media.

Municipal legislative affairs official Zhang Peili simply admitted that things just don't go according to plan sometimes for Chinese authorities.

"Originally, we wanted restaurants to keep 70 percent of their areas smoke-free, but owners of Chinese restaurants – both big and small – worried the plan would hurt their business," said Zhang.

"It is difficult for us to control smoking in restaurants. It's just part of the culture."

Even though Beijing bars, restaurants, and Internet cafés were made exempt from the 2008 Olympic smoking ban, Beijing insisted on banning smoking from the city's 66,000 taxis. And yet, taxi drivers admitted there was no way to enforce this policy.

"The problem is that I actually have no way to report smoking passengers who turn a deaf ear to me, because I'm not entitled to ask their personal information such as his name and ID card number, and I can't tell him to get off," said a taxi driver named Tian.

Beginning with the 1992 Barcelona Games, successive Olympic host cities have pledged to provide a "smoke-free Olympics" as part of their responsibilities.

Images: Tagesspiegel.de, Motkina.se, Volkskrant.nl, France24.com, ChinaDaily.com.cn

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