Hey, Where Did the Smog Go?

One of the overwhelming storylines leading up to the Beijing Olympics has been the polluted, smoggy sky over urban China. Attendees packed gas masks, Chinese officials shut down a good portion on the nation's factories, British field hockey players bought red contact lenses to acclimate themselves.

Well, the Olympics are days away and ... the sky is blue!

Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog (which has temporarily been renamed the Beijing Sports Smog) reports (with photos) on the clear air in Beijing. French news wire AFP has weatherpeople who attribute the clarity to those anti- pollution measures. Good weather conditions have helped, too.

But bad weather's on the way: AFP warns of almost certain rain on Friday (the day of Opening Ceremony) and possible typhoons in Hong Kong and Shanghai, where some events are to be held

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.