Athletes Will Be Allowed to Blog at Beijing Olympics

Posted on February 16, 2008

Athletes will be allowed to blog at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This is the first time athletes will be allowed to blog their experience. There were some unofficial blogs at previous olympic gaes. The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) guidelines do permit audio or video of events to be used.

The IOC has set out guidelines for blogging at the Beijing Games to ensure copyright agreements are not infringed.
They include bans on posting any audio or visual material of action from the games themselves.
The move follows the increasing use of unofficial blogs by athletes in previous Games, including Athens in 2004 and the Turin Winter Games.
"It is required that, when accredited persons at the games post any Olympic content, it be confined solely to their own personal Olympic-related experience," said an IOC statement.

A Reuters story on the IOC guidelines says "Athletes or officials who blog can only post still pictures taken outside accredited areas or their own pictures taken within these areas that do not contain any sporting action." So pictures can be used but only of the athletes residence or of sightseeing - no sports photos or photographs of the opening or closing events.

The IOC also does not want advertising on the blogs and wants the blog to be in "good taste."

Blogs should not have exclusive agreements with any company and there should be no commercial reference or advertising either, the IOC said.
Blogs should also adhere to the Olympic spirit "and be dignified and in good taste."

Another article on the story - this time from the Canadian Press - says bloggers should avoid disclosing security information. The IOC also does not want bloggers to use the word Olympic or Olympics in their domain URL.

Here's a summary of the information contained above and from reading other other articles.

Olympic athletes will be allowed to blog.

Blog domains should not contain any word similar to Olympic or Olympics.

No audio, photo or video of olympic or sports events.

Other photos are fine as long as they are not photographs of Olympic areas or sports activity.

Sports athletes need to get permission to take photographs of other athletes.

Blogs should be about the athlete's personal experience.

Blogs should not contain advertising or have exclusive agreements with any company.

Athlete bloggers should be careful to avoid disclosing security information.

Blogs should be dignified and in good taste.