Masks are so very...

The NY Times has a very interesting article up about the first Olympic athletes to arrive in Beijing, and the sweet masks they wore to combat pollution.

Masks are so cool. Here's an old SF article about the Techno Air Filter mask.

From the Times article:

"The masks they wore were specially designed by and issued to them by the United States Olympic Committee. The U.S.O.C.’s lead exercise physiologist, Randy Wilber, had advised U.S. Olympians to wear the masks on the plane and as soon as they stepped foot in Beijing.

Two of the cyclists wore the masks on the plane. The other two put on the masks when they arrived at the airport.

“This is really a surprise because I didn’t think it was going to be such a big deal,” said one of the cyclists, Mike Friedman. “Why we wore the masks is simple: pollution. When you train your whole life for something, dot all your I’s and cross all your T’s, why wouldn’t you be better safe than sorry?

“They have pollution in Los Angeles, and if the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.”

Wild.