Friday, August 20th, 2004
by Chris Short
From michael over at slashdot:
CNN reports that in a bid to protect its lucrative media contracts, the IOC is
barring competitors, coaches, and support personnel from writing firsthand accounts of their Olympic experience, on the web or in print, for the duration of the Games. Nor are they allowed to ever post photographs or movies that they’ve taken, including media of themselves, even after the Games are finished. They’ve threatened to disqualify anyone that violates their restrictions and sue them for monetary damages. Looks like an effort to clamp down on grassroots, word-of-mouth publicity for the Olympics —
good thing they’re not having any problems selling tickets anyways, eh?
The CNN report says that the only exception to the rule is that if the athlete had a web site set up before the Olympic games and not for the sole purpose of promoting the athlete’s activity during the Olympic games.
The reasoning behind the rule is that the IOC thinks that the competitors should not serve as athletes and journalists. I agree somewhat but Olympians should be allowed to do as they please when they’re not competing, right? I mean there is tremendous pressure on our nations’ Olympians, if they want to start a blog that runs through their Athens 2004 experience to relieve some stress then why shouldn’t they be able to?
Of course there is money involved:
To protect lucrative broadcast contracts, athletes and other participants are also prohibited from posting any video, audio or still photos they take themselves, even after the games, unless they get permission ahead of time. (Photos taken by accredited journalists are allowed on the personal sites.)
Damn it! Let them blog.
Note: Wired is also covering the story.
