BEIJING - Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive Web sites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday. ... China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, but journalists have this week complained of finding access to sites deemed sensitive to its communist leadership blocked.
"I regret that it now appears BOCOG has announced that there will be limitations on Web site access during Games time," IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said, referring to Beijing's Olympic organizers. "I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related," he said.
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The article itself is a fairly long one, but I found more interesting comment in a pdf linked in the article:
... an "advice to foreign correspondence" from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (www.fccchina.org).
This latter document attempts to give a "realistic view" of conditions faced by foreigners - especially by news people - in China now. Comments on problems that presence of "foreigners" may cause for the locals are also rather "chilling."
(A guide to the Internet, and comment on some tools and methods for "circumventing" censorship of communications - and avoiding "spying" on contents by unwanted eyes, may be of fairly general interest to a few people here - with respect to "governments other than China(?)" See pp 23 - 25 in the .pdf.)
The last few pages of the .pdf also offer some comment on the rather substantial differences between the "Central Government" - where there may actually be an intent to be more "civilized" and conditions in more remote places where "Lord of the Flies" comes to mind.
Interest in the Olympics is not requisite for "enjoyment" of this document, if one has any interest in international affairs.