Banned: Athlete Blogs at Olympics

Just in via the European Journalism Centre Newsletter:

"The Japanese Olympic Committee is telling athletes competing at the Turin Winter Olympic Games not to open weblogs because the Olympic Charter bans athletes' journalist activities when the games are on, and violators will be disqualified."

Full article at the The Japan Times, Asia Media

Comments

[Stuart Bruce, BMA PR]

I've just blogged about how this might provide a bit of a roadblock for Visa's Road to the Olympics blog.

[Philippe Borremans]

Thanks Stuart. I'll include the link to your article: http://www.stuartbruce.biz/2006/02/has_visas_road_.html

[Kami Huyse]

This is pretty horrible I think. Why does it hurt the Olympics to report in a blog. I can understand visuals during the show, these are so commercial and that might hurt the ability to get advertisers to pay for exclusivity. But how does a blog diary really do anythign except bring more attention to the games?