Correspondents in Beijing | August 11, 2008
OLYMPIC Games organisers claimed on Saturday that the controversial decision to block Internet sites was taken to protect Chinese youngsters.
Asked why sites such as Free Tibet and those covering the Tiananmen Square Massacre were not accessible, Wang Wei, the vice-president of organising committee BOCOG, said: "We (BOCOG) promised free access except for a few websites that jeopardise our security and the healthy growth of our youth.""That's an assessment made by the authorities of which sites are good and which are not good for our youth. It's like what any other country does."
IOC chief Jacques Rogge said that the were would be a review of the situation after the conclusion of the August 8-24 Games.
"The problem with Internet access should not have happened," admitted Rogge last Tuesday.
"However, the other day I was asked would I apologise and I said I would not apologise as the IOC do not run the Internet in China.
"But there will be a review of what happened when we come to audit the Games when they are over."
AFP