Olympic Committee to China: Don't Block Internet

The International Olympic Committee told Beijing organizers Tuesday that the Internet must be open during the Games.

The message came from a high-ranking IOC official during the first of three days of meetings – the last official session before the August games – between the international Olympic body and the Chinese hosts.

"This morning we discussed and insisted again," said Kevan Gosper, vice chairman of the IOC coordinating commission, according to The Associated Press. "Our concern is that the press [should be] able to operate as it has at previous games."

China is known to block citizens’ access to foreign Web sites including news and blogs, especially those critical of the government.

Gosper warned that restricting access to the Internet during the Olympics “would reflect very poorly” on Beijing. He also reminded China that it is obligated under the “host city agreement” to provide Internet access to the 30,000 journalists expected to attend.

Read more of this story on The Christian Post.