By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS (Reuters) -
The International Olympic Committee on
Friday gave the green light to allow blogging at the Olympics
for the first time, issuing guidelines for this August's
Beijing Games.
In a series of guidelines, the IOC said blogging would be
allowed during the Beijing 2008 Olympics as long as individuals
writing the journals keep within the IOC format.
"The IOC considers blogging... as a legitimate form of
personal expression and not a form of journalism," the IOC
said.
"It is required that, when accredited persons at the Games
post any Olympic content, it be confined solely to their own
personal Olympic-related experience," it said.
Bloggers during the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics are banned
from posting any Olympic Games visual or audio material and any
confidential information on third parties.
Athletes or officials who blog can only post still pictures
taken outside accredited areas or their own pictures taken
within these areas that do not contain any sporting action.
The IOC is eager to protect rights holders as Games
broadcasting contracts are worth several billion euros.
Blogs should not have exclusive agreements with any company
and there should be no commercial reference or advertising
either, the IOC said.
Blogs should also adhere to the Olympic spirit "and be
dignified and in good taste."
The phenomenal rise of blogs and their growing sphere of
influence beyond the small group they were initially intended
for had alarmed the IOC, especially ahead of the Beijing Games,
which have been under fire due to China's human rights record
and its crackdown on on-line dissidents.
Technology has made it easier and faster to blog with
on-line athletes' personal diaries on the rise during the last
two Games, the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 Turin Winter
Games. All those blogs were not officially approved by the IOC
at the time.
(Editing by Alison Wildey)
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