IOC to investigate Chinese Games censorship

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 29 Jul 2008 at 09:12

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced it will investigate apparent censorship of internet service provided for media covering the Beijing Olympics.

China, which has promised the media the same freedom to report on the Games as it enjoyed at previous Olympics, loosened its regulations governing foreign media in January last year.

Despite these new regulations, which are scheduled to expire in October, the foreign media in China has complained of continuing harassment by officials. This was followed by a report from Human Rights Watch earlier this month which claimed China was not living up to its pledges.

The IOC says it will look into anything that interferes with reporters doing their jobs in reporting the Games.

"Our preoccupation is that the media are able to report on the Games as they did in previous Games," says IOC press chief Kevan Gosper.

"Where it's not happening, we'll take the matter up with Beijing Olympic organisers and the authorities immediately," he says.

Games already underway

The Games officially open on 8 August but the Athletes' and Media Villages are up and running and the Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre are already teeming with more than 20,000 media accredited to cover the event.

Gosper says that while some elements of the media felt the loosened regulations meant access to "every activity" in China, he "can't guarantee that will be the case."

"Our preoccupation is that the accredited media of these Games send pictures and stories on these Games equivalent to that of previous Games and I still believe that will be delivered."