Comments on: Athletes Banned From Podcasting At The 2008 Olympics

By: jvln101

jvln101 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:24:35 +0000

NO PODCASTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder why this year I have absolutely NO INTEREST in the Olympic Games. It is because of Corporate Greed, Censorship and banning the Games from being seen by only a few. This is OBSCENE in the present world where access to World News Events such as this should be accessible to all. But GE has decided that they own it all.

Join the Boycott of the 2008 Olympics in Bejing. I am not watching, participating, buying any product or endorsing any sponsor that has anything to do with what these games have become.

Take that, greedy corporate sponsors. Without a population to buy your products, you are NOBODY.

By: Measurement is a Hot Topic for 2008 Olympics » The Buzz Bin

Measurement is a Hot Topic for 2008 Olympics » The Buzz Bin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:25:19 +0000

[...] International Olympic Committee (IOC) has effectively banned athletes from audio and video podcasting, photoblogging and vlogging their personal takes on the event, which largely misses the new media viewpoint audiences are sure [...]

By: James Lewin

James Lewin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:09:09 +0000

Ed, Rian - good points.

Definitely corporate censorship - not political - but people like to think of Olympics as more than a corporate entity.

Ultimately, though, I think this hurts the Olympics because blogs, podcasts, video podcasts would be more likely to grab the Internet media audience than same-old same-old.

By: Rian

Rian — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:01:59 +0000

I fear a lot of people will spin this as an issue of Chinese censorship. This is not China’s rule, it’s the IOC’s. This is an is an issue of copyright protection and greed, not thought control or propaganda.

By: Ed Roberts

Ed Roberts — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:00:31 +0000

Other thoughts… it will be interesting to see the difference from China this year, to the winter games 2 years from now. Not necessarily with regards to the continued evolution of user-generated-media, but just how much influence the China card has in their rules.

By: Ed Roberts

Ed Roberts — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:48:35 +0000

I can certainly understand the “no pictures, videos, etc of the events” thing. Think of it much like the NFL… or really any pro sporting event. You are not allowed to do any of this. It also cements the fact that the Olympics are very much a business.

On the other hand, I find it rather interesting that the IOC claims ownership of any media produced at the Olympic Village or at the ceremonies, “whether on a live or delayed basis, regardless of source.” That means that the IOC owns all those pictures that the athletes take as they are walking into the Opening Ceremony. This goes WAAAY beyond blogging and new media.