The oil film observed off the coast of the Olympic sailing venue will not affect the sailing events, said an official of the Sailing Committee (Qingdao) of BOCOG here on Wednesday.

"The oil film is not in the sailing area and will not affect the Olympic sailing," said Qu Chun, competition manager and deputy secretary general of the Sailing Committee (Qingdao) of BOCOG.

"The cause of the oil film is currently under investigation by the government," he added.

An oily substance covering a 2-square-km strip was found floating on the sea off the coast of the Olympic sailing venue on Tuesday.

The substance had remained on the surface of the sea, about 30 nautical miles from the Olympic sailing event area of Shandong Province.

"The oil film is usually emulsified in a few days and the north wind will blow it southward and away from the competition area," said Wang Weiping, deputy secretary general of the city government on Tuesday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2008)