International Olympic Committee Considering Allowing Athletes to Blog

Posted on February 9, 2007

The Associated Press is reporting that one of the many issues the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is looking into the issue of whether or not Olympic athletes should be allowed to blog.

In between debating weighty issues like whether solo synchronized swimming is actually a sport or whether gymnastics really is fixed, the International Olympic Committee is looking at allowing athletes to blog.
It's a delicate issue. The IOC doesn't want to step on the toes of the traditional media, and there's a fear the athlete's village could turn into a battle zone of dueling blogsters.
Imagine Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis going after each other online before they meet on ice.
"We want to avoid a free-for-all situation," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.

Blogging was banned by the Olympic Charter at the 2006 Olymics in Turin, Italy and some countries discouraged their atheltes from blogging. If blogging is allowed in 2008 it will be interesting to see if any countries encourage athelete blogging at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Update 2-10-07: The BBC is reporting that the Australian Olympic Committee is banning Australian athletes from blogging in Beijing. They are afraid blogging could turn the Olympics into a reality TV show.