Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:33:26 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Brit Olympians Hit With Gag Order on China

Posted Feb 10, 08 9:04 AM CST in Arts & Living,  World 

(Newser) – British athletes headed to the Beijing Olympics are being required to sign a controversial document barring them from criticizing the Chinese government, reports Britain's Daily Mail. They must promise "not to comment on any politically sensitive issues," said a spokesman for the British Olympic Association, which wrote the contract. Athletes who refuse to sign won't be allowed to travel to the August games, he told CNN.

British Olympic team members have long been required to sign contracts, but this is the first time the agreement will include such a ban on speech. The move has already triggered a fusillade of criticism. "Given that America, Canada and Australia are explicitly saying that their athletes can say what they want when they go to Beijing, it's inappropriate to put this restriction on our athletes," said a British lawmaker. "They must be allowed to say what they want."

Sources: Daily Mail (UK), BBC, CNN

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • China Cracks Down on Internet Cafes

    Oct 17, 08 6:29 AM CDT
    China Cracks Down on Internet Cafes China has resumed a strict crackdown on Internet users less than two months after the Olympic Games, ending the more relaxed regulations that accompanied the international spotlight, reports the Times of London. All visitors to Internet cafes in Beijing will be required to have their photograph taken, reports the Times of London. All photos and identity cards will be scanned into a database maintained by China's Cultural Law Enforcement Task Force.
    More »

  • China's Great, Baffling Failure: Public Relations

    Oct 16, 08 5:00 PM CDT
    China's Great, Baffling Failure: Public Relations It’s no secret that China is moving into position as a global superpower, writes James Fallows in the Atlantic, and this only further highlights its leaders’ baffling inability to understand how the country is viewed from the outside—and how to change those opinions for the better. Officials just don’t understand “the crass value of cultivating the press,” he writes. More »

  • Officials Clear Chinese Gymnasts

    Oct 1, 08 9:30 AM CDT
    Officials Clear Chinese Gymnasts China's 2008 gold medal gymnasts are in the clear, after international gymnastics officials said today the documentation provided confirms the women were old enough to compete. But the Chinese team that won the bronze medal 8 years ago still faces questions about the age of two competitors.
    More »

  • Coke Bids $2.4B for Chinese Juice Company

    Sep 3, 08 10:12 AM CDT
    Coke Bids $2.4B for Chinese Juice Company Buoyed by its highly visible sponsorship role at the Beijing Olympics, Coca-Cola has made a $2.4 billion offer for a Chinese juice and nectar company, the Wall Street Journal reports. The deal would be the second-largest acquisition ever by the company, which has been expanding into non-carbonated beverages in recent years, and the largest controlling purchase of a Chinese company by a foreign bidder. More »

  • Sydney Olympics Also Featured Fake Performances

    Aug 26, 08 2:38 PM CDT
    Sydney Olympics Also Featured Fake Performances The world was shocked to learn that Chinese singer Lin Miaoke was really just a pretty lip-syncher, but fakery seems to be par for the Olympic course: the Sydney Symphony has disclosed that its performers mimed to a backing tape during the 2000 opening ceremony. "It's correct that we were basically miming to a pre-recording," an ensemble official told the Morning Herald. More »

China's National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, is seen at rear at the Olympic Green in Beijing Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. A Chinese official grudgingly acknowledged Monday that six workers have died...   (Associated Press)
Spectators walk below the translucent wall of the National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube, as they arrive for an Olympic test event in Beijing Monday Feb. 4, 2008. The Water Cube will host swimming...   (Associated Press)
Riders are reflected in a mirror behind a paramilitary police officer, foreground, and a security guard, right, at the Great Wall of China, at Badaling, north of Beijing, during the Men's Road Race at...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

China • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Olympic Games


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »