Tokyo, July 29 (Reuters): Japanese athletes may don masks made for construction workers to cope with air pollution during the Beijing Olympics, a doctor affiliated with the Japanese Olympic Committee said today.

“Our previous research shows the amount of dust in the air is high in Beijing, and that may affect some of the Japanese athletes,” Takao Akama, the committee's medical adviser, told Reuters.

Marathon runners and bicyclists might not be the only ones who opt to use the masks during competition.