A deal between the International Olympic Committee and China will allow the communist country to block journalists from sensitive websites during the Beijing Games in August.
IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said Wednesday that the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) will impose "limitations on website access."
"I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related," he said.
Some IOC members expressed disappointment with the deal.
"It is certainly disappointing if that is the case for the IOC. It was a commitment for hosting the games," Australian Olympic chief and IOC member John Coates said.
On Monday, foreign journalists complained after being blocked out of Amnesty International's website. The organization had released a report on its website attacking China's human rights record.
"When Beijing was awarded the Games, China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed in previous Olympics," CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief Steve Chao reported.
"Now it appears it's not going to happen."
Human Rights groups say that the development is hardly a surprise.
"They are entering the heart of a system which is hostile to media freedom," Phelim Kine, Human Rights Watch sokesperson, said of the foreign media.
A report from Amnesty International, released just 10 days ahead of the opening ceremonies, says China's human rights record has actually worsened as the Games approach.
It says China has failed to live up to its promise to allow greater media freedom.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao rejected the report, saying that Amnesty is biased and people "those who know China will not agree with this report."
China has also blocked access to the website of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong.
"We are going to do our best to facilitate the foreign media to do their reporting work through the Internet," BOCOG spokesman Sun Weide told a news conference Wednesday.
"I would remind you that Falun Gong is an evil, fake religion which has been banned by the Chinese government."
Other sites blocked in China, according to the Amnesty report, including The China Debate, Taiwan's Liberty Times, and the Chinese versions of the BBC and Germany's Deutsche Welle.
Pollution problems
Beijing has faced heavy criticism on several fronts ahead of the Games, including accusations they've broken environmental promises.
Since last Thursday, pollution levels have been twice the acceptable guidelines set by the World Health Organization.
But on Wednesday, pollution levels dropped to half of the day before. A cooling wind and some rain helped sweep away some pollutants in Beijing.
"The daily data since July 20 shows an improvement in air quality," Du Shaozhong, deputy director of Beijing's Environmental Protection Bureau, told The Associated Press. "It reflects the results since we restricted traffic and stopped heavy-polluting factories and construction. That's why we say the measures have been effective."
Chao said there are emergency plans to cut as much as 90 per cent of cars from the roads if the situation does not improve. Already about half of Beijing cars have been pulled off the roads.
With files from The Associated Press
