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GUATEMALA CITY — China's efforts to clear Beijing's notoriously polluted air ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics include a test to pull 1 million cars from the streets, the International Olympic Committee reported Monday.
China's Olympic committee told the IOC Executive Board that it planned to hold 1 million cars off the roads of Beijing for two weeks in August as a test run in case a similar measure is needed for next year's Olympics, IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies told a news conference.
Beijing's pollution has been a key concern of Olympic organizers and Chinese officials tried to ease concerns in a presentation Monday to the IOC board.
Davies said the Chinese said they would replace 1,600 coal-burning boilers that produce energy for factories and powerplants and also would replace 50,000 taxis and 10,000 old buses by the end of the year.
