China may have the world's largest population of smokers, but smoking will be banned at indoor venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and officials are trying to use the games as a catalyst to get people to quit smoking, the Voice of America reported March 10.

In addition to the ban at Olympic venues, smoking also has been prohibited in taxis and public transport, and China is considering outlawing smoking in other indoor public places as well.

China even has a handful of smoke-free restaurants. "If we can provide a nonsmoking environment surely it is better. That is our idea," said Guo Xiaodong, manager of a Beijing eatery where smoking is prohibited. "We made this a no-smoking restaurant to welcome the Green Olympics and for the health of you and your family."

"If you can put certain restrictions, regulations and bans in place, before and during the Olympics, there is no reason why it can't be done after too, a kind of legacy that can be sustained after the Olympics," said Hans Troedsson, the World Health Organization's representative in China.