01 April 2008
IOC wants Beijing to open Internet during Olympics
(AP) Kevan Gosper, vice chairman of the IOC coordinating commission, has told Chinese officials that the internet must be open during the Olympics and that restricting access during the games "would reflect very poorly" on the host nation. He made the comments during the first of three days of talks- the last official sessions between IOC inspectors and the Chinese hosts before the games begin in just over four months. "This morning we discussed and insisted again", Gosper said. "Our concern is that the press (should be) able to operate as it has at previous games". Gosper said the Chinese had an obligation under the "host city agreement" to provide internet access to the 30,000 accredited and non-accredited journalists expected to attend. Beijing routinely blocks Chinese access to some foreign news websites and blogs, a practice it has stepped up since recent protests began in Tibet.