CHINA: Censorship, doping and pollution dominate at International Olympic Committee executive board meeting in Beijing

Record ID: 872825

  • Title: CHINA: Censorship, doping and pollution dominate at International Olympic Committee executive board meeting in Beijing
  • Date: 2nd August 2008
  • Summary: (BN03) BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 2, 2008) (REUTERS) TILT DOWN SHOT OF EXTERIOR OF BEIJING HOTEL
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAA5YDKZGK6S6QXNM35MXDZWIF2
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  • Story Text: President Jacques Rogge greeted International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board members and guests in Beijing on Saturday (August 2), days ahead of the official opening of the 2008 Olympics.
    The executive board is holding meetings over the weekend to discuss doping, pollution and internet censorship issues.
    On Friday (August 1), the IOC and the Chinese Olympic organisers agreed to lift all Internet restrictions for media covering the Beijing Games. The IOC said on Friday the issue regarding the media internet restrictions had been solved.
    The issue had caused a major stir days before the start of the August 8-24 Olympics with IOC officials insisting there would be no censorship and Beijing officials saying sensitive sites would remain blocked by the Communist authorities.
    Although Internet access will be free for reporters for the period of the Games, it is still tightly controlled for the rest of the country. Sites related to spiritual movement Falun Gong, and other issues that are frowned on, are regularly blocked.
    In a groundbreaking meeting with foreign journalists on Friday, China's President Hu Jintao said China will stand by its Games pledges.
    The issue of Internet censorship was only the latest of a series of issues--from human rights to Tibet, an array of issues has prompted criticism of China's policies.
    A report released by Amnesty International earlier this week accused China of failing to achieve its pledge to improve its human rights record.
    The IOC executive board members are also expected to review the case of Katerina Thanou, a Greek sprinter who has openly slammed the IOC's decision to delay a hearing on her participation in the Beijing Games until the eve of the Opening Ceremony.
    The IOC informed Thanou's legal team late on Thursday (July 31) that the meeting, which was due to be made this weekend, would now take place on Aug.
    Breaking a four-year silence to speak publicly at a press conference in Athens on Friday, Thanou, who served a two-year ban for missing a doping test on the eve of the Athens Games four years ago, also questioned the IOC's motives.
    As the meeting opened, the board members stood for a minute of silence in respect of the former President of the Swiss Confederation, an honorary IOC member, Kurt Furgler who passed away last month.
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