W T F China...

There is all sorts of stuff flying through the news agencies about China and the olympics. I am sure you have heard some of the stories. Today I read another that just boggles my mind. You can check out the full article here ... but the short version is that despite promises to the contrary, China is blocking interenational journalists from certain sites and topics. For example, anything with the word Tibet in it or sites with articles talking about human rights issues, are unavailable in the press area.

Now if you are unaware, China regularily blocks its citizens from accessing those kind of sites and a slew of others it has decided that they don't want people viewing. This has been known for a long time. When the IOC was looking at China as a possible site for the Olympics, one of the stipulations was uncensored internet access for the press. China is now twisting and spinning the fact that they promised unrestricted access during the Olympic games and are now 'clarifying' their original statement and saying they were only referring to unrestricted access to information about the Olympics. Not China as a country or government, their policies or actions.

I just find it hard that in this day and age, the IOC would even consider hosting the Olypics in China. No city or country is perfect by any means, but China.. all I can say is wow. The IOC is granting an event that brings tons of revenue and publicity to a city / country and can't even stick to its guns and make China follow through with the promises it made in order to secure the bid for the games in the first place.

Officials from the IOC have stated that they Olympic games are separate from politics and that the IOC doesn't get involved with a countries politics. Well thats all well and good, but you have required certain things from a host city in order to even consider them as a candidate. Now, a few days before the event is to occur, China is backtracking and not meeting those requirements as they said they would.

In my opinion, either the IOC has compliance in the next 48 hours to all the original requirements or they shut the whole thing down. They won't do it of course, but its what should be done. Actually Beijing should never have been considered in the first place in my opinion. Not with the multitude of other cities worldwide that would have been much better candidates for it.

Of course.. maybe you don't want to use the internet at all while you are there. There are other reports surfacing now stating that the Chinese government is also requiring all hotels to install software that collects information on its guests. Supposedly this system will monitor internet access and collect information on where its guests go, what they are doing on the internet and what topics they are looking up. Its unclear if the monitoring system goes any further than that, but if you are planning to attend the Olympics, I would leave the laptop at home and stay off free wifi connections while you are there.

I don't know.. there is just so much that strikes me as wrong with Beijing hosting the games. On top of that.. everytime you turn around now there seems to be another article on something else China promised and is now changing or 'clarifying' and saying they never meant it that way in the first place. I don't care of the summer olypics only happen every 4 years. Cancel them if they don't comply. Send out a message. And next time.. be smarter with your location choice.