International Olympic Committee Feeling The Heat Over Internet Censorship In China

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday faced mounting questions over Internet censorship, days before the Beijing Games, despite earlier pledges that its use would be unfettered.
While China has allowed access to some websites that were blocked earlier in the week, many sites still remain inaccessible to reporters covering the Beijing Olympics that start on Aug. 8. On Friday the IOC had said the issue had been resolved.
"We would like to see the greatest degree of openness," IOC communications director Giselle Davies told reporters.
"There has been no change in the IOC's position. The IOC would like to see open access," she said in response to several questions regarding the IOC's determination to push through what it had promised.
Some questions led with quotes from IOC officials that the Internet would be free.
"When there were problems on Wednesday, the IOC's team... met with the organising committee and asked if they could be resolved," Davies said.

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Comments

[steamboat]

All you folks are mad at China I see. Does that mean you won't watch NBC and its affiliate MSNBC since NBC paid plenty of $$$$$$$$ to the Chinese regime to televise their Olympic games? Again, it was NBC, not the other stations, including the dreaded FOX. I'm sure Keith and Rachel will really go after NBC. Yeah, right (LOL)

[S1m0n]

Well, I don't. I can't speak for anyone else.

[3dtrix]

Too funny! - cut off at the punchline!

Keep voting Republican!

[3dtrix]

You people are funny - China made promise upon promise to land the Olympics and have reneged on virtually every one.

What is anyone going to do about it? Nothing. What are we (US) going to do about it? Even less.

They own us now - piss 'em off and they'll call in our marker.

Hope you folks all got your money's worth in Iraq - it'll be the last time we can wage war on money borrowed from folks who want to eat our lunch.

Didn't W tell you where he was getting all that cash?

It works like this - we surrender our industrial base - jobs and factories - to the Chinese. They build mountains of cheap crap - I mean inexpensive consumer goods - and we send them every dollar not already committed to the House of Saud. Then we go to them with hat in hand to borrow back a little of the money we just sent them so we can fight over oil we don't own. They're happy to loan it to us, because not only do we owe them the debt, but they get to buy what's left of our economy with the interest. That's right - they're buying our skyscrapers and agricultural land with our money, not theirs.

Get it? We pay them to drive us to the poorhouse!

I guess we've got 'em just where we want 'em - only YOU tell 'em to keep their promises.

Oh, and keep voting

[Americanium]

That is not the worst crime committed by the IOC. The IOC were very much a part of the doping of US athletes over the years.

They know that successful performance by the US athletes will translate into bigger audiences which increases ad revenues which is the basis on which they get to charge big money for broadcast rights.

Shame on the IOC and their corrupt practices. They apparently did not learn from the Salt Lake fiasco.

[Phylmom]

Can you say "boycott"?
I have over the years watched every Olympics since 1968. But I will not watch one minute of the Chinese Olympics. If many others would do the same, a message would be sent.

[jubo]

Riiiight, just like Yahoo did some years back. Imagine if money had a conscience...

[Titonwan]

How, pray tell, does anyone from the U.S. have the nerve to tell China who they can wiretap and who they can't? I hear that's all the rage in this country now. Hypocrites. I am proud of Ron Paul to be the ONLY one that didn't vote for a "Chinese be fair resolution" (419-1). He even told Mdme. Speaker Puuleese that how can we tell China what to do when we are restricting our own citizens. Ron Paul will go down in history as a Statesmen, not a damned politician. 419-1... Courage is NOT following the sheep.

[geneven]

"How, pray tell, does anyone from the U.S. have the nerve to tell China who they can wiretap and who they can't? "

China is capable of making agreements and of being responsible for keeping them. The US can tell China that it can't wiretap if China has an agreement with the US saying it can't wiretap. China can tell the US it can't wiretap if the US has an agreement with China saying it can't wiretap.

This is called international law. Counties agree to things and they can be held responsible if they don't abide by them.

Ron Paul may go down in history as a Statesman, though I don't see why, since I thought that Statesmen were leaders. If you are right and can't get anyone to follow you, you are not a leader. If you are right and can't get any countries to follow you, you are not a statesman.

What countries have followed Ron Paul's lead?

Damned politicans have to get people to agree with them. If you are not a damned politician, you can't lead and you don't get credit for getting the answers correct. A tree that yells in the forest is not really a tree unless someone is listening.

[Mort]

To be thought of as more than just a politician in history, you have to accomplish something, change the course, not just mouth off.

[DAE]

You people are all such hypocrites it makes me want to puke

[DAE]

This is such total bull. Who gives a damn. There are more important issues than the internet for god's sake. I mean, come on these correspondents can't gain access to anything they need to know from overseas. Just enjoy the games and get off your high horses.

[missjulz]

Tell that to Chinese prisoners who spent 10 years in jail when yahoo turned over their e-mails to the government.

[proudloudlib]

Tell me again how China ever got the Olympics in the first place? Extreme air pollution, censorship, etc...
What were they thinking?!

[Imzadi]

IOC = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. 'nuff said...

[ramal]

One word: BOYCOTT (the sponsors) and let them know why.

[DAE]

Who the hell are you to tell anyone one anything. Protest the 1000000 dead in Iraq and the 100000s imprisoned in total isolation in your jails you idiot.

[GeoNorth]

Nothing that China does with the Olympics suprises me. They are an oppresive Govt that is interested in controlling all that will affect their power and leadership. They call themselves communists but they are not even that. They will say or do anything to preserve their power over a billion people. Polluting the planet? Simply the cost of business. Oppress free speech? They don't want truth for it hurts. Support genocide? Of course. They will need the support themselves when it's their turn to kill millions. Yet all this is just fine to GW Bush, who knows he has to kiss their ass because they own us.

These games will be a disaster.

[mergina]

You know, if China does not OPEN UP COMPLETELY for the olympics, EVERYONE SHOULD JUST PACK IT UP AND LEAVE. Leave them to compete with themselves. WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY SICKENING DISPLAY by this MONSTER OF POLLUTION AND VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

[Sarahjan]

So you know that corporations do not hate communism, do not care about the freedom of speech. They care about their bottom line.

[mergina]

GREED rules Communist/Capitalists too. TO HELL WITH CHINA AND THEIR OLYMPICS IF THEY DO NOT OPEN UP COMPLETELY and join the rest of the world.

[Pat15]

I share the thots of many ..IOC is a corrupt organisation ..all they care is about money ..If you recall the scandals of few years ago .. no different now & the athletes compete cuz they know if they do well Plenty of money is waiting afterwards ... One can say it is not the chienese people It is the Govt which is true ..

I will not watch Olympics & encourage others to do the same ...What a farce by the IOC to pander to the Chienese Govt ...