The International Olympic Committee shows some backbone:
China’s Great Firewall must be lifted during the Olympic Games to ensure free access to the rest of the world.
That was the message from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the Beijing organisers of the Games during meetings that will be the last official sessions between IOC inspectors and the Chinese hosts before the Games open on August 8.
Kevan Gosper, vice-chairman of the IOC co-ordinating commission, said blocking the internet during the Games would reflect very poorly on the host nation. “Even this morning we discussed and insisted again. Our concern is that the press is able to operate as it has at previous Games — at Games time.”
China routinely blocks access to certain sites on the internet and can implement at will a blacklist of words that cannot be found and will crash a search engine. Since angry Tibetans rioted in Lhasa last month — leaving at least 18 people dead and hundreds of burnt shops and offices — barriers to certain parts of the internet have been enforced with even greater vigour.
Mr Gosper said that the Chinese had an obligation under the host city agreement to open internet access to 30,000 accredited and non-accredited journalists expected to attend the August Games. “There was some criticism that the internet closed down during events relating to Tibet in previous weeks, but this is not Games time.”
Of course, the real test will come if the Chinese don’t comply with the request.
