No delays on 'live' Olympics

TV broadcasts from August’s Beijing Olympics will go out live to the world with no transmission delays, senior Olympic officials have announced. “As far as the Olympics are concerned, the broadcasts will go out as and when the action happens,” said veteran International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Kevan Gosper.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV routinely delays transmission of so-called live events, including a ceremony on Monday on central Tiananmen Square to welcome the Olympic torch when footage was broadcast about one minute late. Fears that China would delay Olympic TV broadcasts so as to censor the coverage or would block the internet to journalists during the Games were completely unfounded, Gosper said.

Gosper, vice-chairman of the IOC’s Coordination Commission, working with Beijing on hosting the Games, told AFP there would be complete internet freedom for more than 20,000 accredited journalists covering the Games. “TV signals will be live and the internet will be open and free for all accredited media,” he said.

Beijing routinely blocks access to websites deemed indecent or critical of the Chinese government or in favour of issues opposed by the communist party. Sun Weijia, director of media operations for the Beijing Olympic organising committee, said CCTV had no role in international transmission from the Olympics. The job will be handled by the host broadcaster, Beijing Olympic Broadcasting, a joint venture between the organising committee and the IOC. “There will be no delay from Beijing. The transmission signal goes out to international broadcasters as events unfold,” Sun said.

Gosper was speaking on the sidelines of a three-day meeting between the commission and Beijing Olympics organisers taking place just 127 days ahead of the Games opening ceremony. “I have to be certain that journalists and all members of the press can report on the Games as freely and openly as they have done on previous Games,” he added.