Beijing is considering a ban on smoking in public areas including Olympic venues during next year's Olympic Games, local media reported.

The Beijing Daily said that according to a draft regulation on tobacco-free Games by the municipal government, smoking would be prohibited at eight Olympics-related areas such as venues, hotels, restaurants, public transport and the Olympic Village, and offenders face a fine of 10 yuan (1.3 US dollars).

But special smoking areas can be set aside in those places, added the paper.

The concept of a non-smoking Olympic Games, initiated in 1988, was put into practice in Barcelona in 1992.

But it remains to be an arduous task for Beijing. It is estimated that 350 million people, about 26 percent of the country's population and a third of the world's smoking population, are hooked on nicotine.

China reports about one million deaths from smoking-related diseases each year, and the figure is expected to triple by 2050.

据当地媒体报道:北京市政府正在考虑在明年举行的奥运会期间禁止在包括奥运会比赛地点的公共场所内吸烟. 北京日报报道,根据市政府关于举办一个无烟的奥运会的决议,在8个于奥运会相关的地方,诸如:比赛场所、宾馆、餐厅、公交车及奥运村.违反者将处于１０元（１.３美元）罚款．该报同时指出，在这些区域也会设定吸烟区．＂无烟＂奥运会的主题是于１９８８年提出的，并在１９９２年的巴塞罗那奥运会上实施．但对于北京来说这仍然是个难题．因为据估计大约占中国人口２６％的３.５亿人以及世界人口的１／３人吸烟．有报告显示，中国每年约有１００万人死于吸烟有关的疾病，而这一数字将在２０５０年翻２倍．