Smog returned to Beijing's skies on Monday, despite claims by Chinese officials that drastic anti-pollution measures had slashed the chances of Olympic events having to be rescheduled. The familiar murky air seen in the capital reduced visibility to a few hundred meters just four days before the Olympic opening ceremony and the athletes began arriving. The poor air followed three days of blue skies that had led Chinese officials to trumpet the success of their anti-pollution measures. Beijing's Olympic organizing committee acknowledged the pollution level had deteriorated from grade one to grade two, based on the Chinese government's scale, but insisted there was no need for competitors to worry. “We can guarantee we can provide good air quality to the athletes, officials and spectators,” organizing committee spokesman Sun Weide told reporters, adding grade two was still “very good” and did not require emergency plans. Traffic problem Pollution may be pushed to the background as a secondary concern for Beijing's officials as traffic snarls, bottlenecks and scarce taxis threaten to become the next potential flashpoint. Despite the government's meticulous planning to ease congestion, splashing out billions on new subway lines that deliver spectators to the Olympic Green - not to mention the removal of nearly half of Beijing's 3.3 million cars from the roads - snafus are already causing tempers to flare. “It is very frustrating,” said American visitor Brian Failing, shortly after a long, frustrating taxi ride. This is four days before the start, and I wonder what's going to happen then.” Even before the bulk of the expected half million foreigners converge on the main sports venues, traffic is frequently jamming up near the entrance to the Olympic village. Traffic ground to a standstill around the stadium on Saturday when organizers had a dress rehearsal for the opening ceremony. Again on Sunday, with no special events scheduled, a main ring road was choked with traffic for several kilometers leading up to the main Olympic turnoff. Phelps slips in Michael Phelps sneaked into Beijing almost unnoticed. He's unlikely to go out that way. The probable star of the Beijing Olympics avoided hundreds of fans, photographers and reporters Monday by taking a side door out to a waiting bus while his teammates pushed luggage trolleys calmly through the arrival gate at Beijing's new Terminal 3, a sprawling addition to the city's airport. Phelps, who's grown a mustache while training in Singapore, was eventually spotted by dozens of reporters and photographers, sitting by a window on the team bus.
