China has imposed strict restrictions on Internet access to its citizens. And time it was extended to the international media present in the country to cover the Olympics games, but only until today.

Finally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Chinese organizers BOCOG agreed to lift Internet restrictions for media covering the Beijing Games, though just partially. Sites considered "seditious" or "against national interest" by the Chinese government will continue to be blocked. Meanwhile, restrictions on Internet access for the rest of the country remains as strict as before.

The issue had caused quite a debate as IOC officials insisted there would be no censorship, while BOCOG maintained sensitive sites would continue to remain blocked. Earlier, the Games organizers had promised there would be no restrictions on Internet access to journalists covering the Games.

When the Olympic Village press center opened, reporters were unable to access various website including those discussing Tibetan issues, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown on the protests in Tiananmen Square as well as the websites of Amnesty International, BBC’s Chinese-language news, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers known for their freewheeling political discourse.

Source: New York Times.
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