Australian athletes have been given the option not to compete if they think Beijing’s pollution will affect their health. The deputy chef de mission for the Australian team, Peter Montgomery said athletes have the option to pull out, but the thought it was unlikely that any would.

“I think it would be extremely unlikely that an athlete won’t want to compete,” he said.

“Let me say I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. The athletes - most of the athletes - have been training for 10 years for this moment. So it is highly unlikely that anyone will.

“What I have been trying to say, and I hope you have not miss understood what I have said, that we won’t be pressing them in the unlikely event that this arises. We won’t be demanding that they still compete.”

The smog that has covered Beijing the past few days is starting to clear a little over the capital today