Olympic chief sure of success

With a little more than two weeks to go before the 2008 Olympic Games begin, morale is "excellent" in the Kiwi team, the Queenstown-based president of the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) says.

Beijing will be the fifth summer Olympics since Munich 1972 for Eion Edgar, who is also chairman of investment company Forsyth Barr and has distinguished himself in the fields of sport, finance, the arts and education.

"The athletes have put in the preparation, [chef de mission] Dave Currie leads an excellent management team and we've done our homework," Mr Edgar said.

About 200 athletes and another 100 support crew, managers, coaches and medics - the largest Olympics team the country has assembled - are in the Chinese capital readying themselves for 16 events at the August 8-24 games.

Mr Edgar, along with patron Governor-General Anand Satyanand, will join the last Kiwi group to depart for China, on August 6.

"Predominantly, we'll be looking for success in the traditional areas of rowing , yachting, triathlon, cycling, men's and women's kayaking and equestrian," he said.

The variety of sports in which New Zealanders were entered meant that while there was pressure on the individual competitors, there was a lot of opportunity for success.

Many athletes were concerned about the air quality in China's capital and surrounding provinces.

The International Olympic Committee has said some endurance events may be rescheduled if the pollution presents a health risk.

Smog-choked Beijing spent more than 120 billion yuan in environmental improvements over the past 10 years and sulphur dioxide emissions fell by 4.7% in 2007, compared with the same period a year before.

Mr Edgar said all international participants knew they would be competing at certain locations, times and days since China was selected as the host country.

"Everyone has prepared for the heat and climate.

Our athletes prepared expecting poor air quality.

"The Chinese have closed down their factories and taken millions of cars off the road to improve the situation, so I'm confident the environment will improve before the Games start."

Mr Edgar said although the capital expense involved in hosting the Olympics was beyond New Zealand's capabilities, the NZOC was backing the inaugural New Zealand Winter Games for 2009.

"Otago is going to host Winter Games events next August or September, utilising all the skifields in Queenstown and Wanaka, curling in Naseby and ice sports, figure skating and short-course speed skating in Dunedin."