Olympics Committee Admits Internet Censorship Deal With China

Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive websites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday...

...China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, but journalists have this week complained of finding access to sites deemed sensitive to its communist leadership blocked.

"I regret that it now appears BOCOG has announced that there will be limitations on website access during Games time," IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said, referring to Beijing's Olympic organizers.

"I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related," he said.

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Comments

[schicklett3]

Tell me again WHY the Olympics are in China!!

[Big0725]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

[KBAR]

Tell me again, how much is BHO spending on ads during the Olympic broadcasts?

[fcsakes]

Boycott the games. Too bad for the athletes - interesting that the committee chose China in spite of the whole world shouting NO! Almost seems as if bush must be running their show too.

[JackND]

Yeah, I decided to personally boycott these Olympics long ago. Lots of people are.

[Lemastre]

It would be great if athletes could gather and compete in a totally nonpolitical, noncommercial setting. That hasn't been the case for many years and is not likely while the present IOC system is in place.

All this becomes more apparent when the setting is as inappropriate as Beijing, where censorship, filthy air, and the Chinese system of athlete development will be front and center -- a reincarnation of the East German system of years past. (Though the Chinese probably won't be as pumped up with steroids as the Germans were.)

Boycotting might be a way to get some improvements if the boycott were big enough. It won't be, of course.

Tuning out the TV coverage constitutes no great loss to viewers, since what's lost is mostly commercials and peripheral features rather than coverage of actual competition. But low enough viewership might nudge positive action of some sort. I admit to being a TV sports junky who will tune in to a lot of the coverage despite the frustration it brings.

Every olympiad I marvel anew at the resources the network wastes on up-close-a­nd-persona­l features -- all stuff the true sports fan wants nothing to do with while competition is under way. Maddening it is to suffer these distractions knowing that the sports venues are teeming with action that will never be shown on TV.

[WasteNJ]

True indeed. I'm planning to watch the BMX event, but that's it. It's been a long time coming, but damn I'd hate to have to breathe that "air"... Every time I see a shot of the city, I think of the movie "Blade Runner".

[nofltwlt]

China is a civil rights violator. The Olympic committee should not condone this censorship let alone support censorship. China's olympic event will go down in infamy just as will the presidency of G.W.B., because they are doing the wrong things - to people.

[skepticalindenver]

And we aren't....­Gitmo??? Waterboarding??? Unwarranted wiretapping???? Sure, you can argue the degree, but don't get too high and mighty there Hoss.

[christianhypocrites]

You didn't read the whole comment - he is saying that Bush=China when it comes to civil rights.

[Big0725]

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"

Abraham Lincoln

[raker]

Pollution, contaminated food, censored communications, human rights atrocities, and athletic events presented to us in small, overprocessed, predigested bits. This is going to be the best Olympics EVER!

[popecorvo]

Ah! The self-rightousness of the Western World!

Nevermind 400 years of expropriating and torturing the East!

[Big0725]

Waaaaa!

[exPatPatti]

I was never going to watch the Beijinx Olympics anyway. I still can't believe they gave them the games. They don't deserve it. The Chinese government is vile.

USA probably doesn't get the coverageI see here in Australia (much freer media coverage) about what they are doing in preparation for the games. So many people being evicted and locked up... their homes bulldozed.­.. their belongings destroyed.

It's a farce.

[BARRISTER]

They are no more vile than the United States Givernment, ON EVERY COUNT!!

[bola47]

you are 100% correct. we went from one of the most admired countries in the world to one of the most hated. thank you george bush and company.

[jubo]

What a surprise..­. and these guys bought IBM's PCs...

Is a Lenovo a computer or a commissary?

[JMorgan]

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[separatingwheatfromchaff]

I am not being looked at olympics,to do so will require washing of hand.

[CaptainHowdy]

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[CaptainHowdy]

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[masha2008]

wow. the ioc is a sellout. wonder how much the chinese paid them.

[CaptainHowdy]

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[LiberalBuzz]

And the Chinese commies renegging on deals surprises.­...who?

They are a soulless, repressive, tyrannical, smear on the world's face.

I have already written NBC, (not that they sit around breathlessly waiting to hear from me) and told them because of the location of the "games", I will not be watching and neither will anyone of my family or those I know.

So there are a few dozen JUTS in my little circle of concerned friends.

Let us multiply that by millions.

[CaptainHowdy]

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