It appears that the International Olympic Committee has banned athletes and coaches from blogging about their experience at the Olympics. The penalty for disobeying? Disqualification.
The IOC’s rationale for the ban is that “that athletes and their coaches should not serve as journalists — and that the interests of broadcast rightsholders and accredited media come first.”
Neville Hobson points out that many blogs have cropped up in violation of the ban. And Network World points out that the ban is motivated mostly by the desire to protect the traditional media organizations that have paid handsomely to cover the Games.
I absolutely understand and respect the IOC’s right to keep athletes and their coaches from blogging, but I think the decision was a bad business move. In a world where people are becoming accustomed to the free flow of information, restricting it to a few traditional sources may translate to decreased interest. The IOC needs to figure out a way to accommodate the traditional media while adapting to the changes the Web has wrought.
One way to do this would be to allow athletes to enter into agreements with the journalistic organizations covering the Games. The organizations could host the athlete’s blogs on their websites. Obviously, no money could change hands. But perhaps proceeds could be donated to charity.
{ 0 comments… add one now }