BOCOG, IOC, TV Officials Disagree Over Issues In Beijing Meeting
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Felli Says TV Execs Feel Some
BOCOG Rules Are Not Feasible |
A contentious May 29 meeting between BOCOG officials, high-ranking IOC officials and TV execs representing nine broadcasters, including those from NBC, featured "differences over a wide range of issues -- from limits on live coverage in Tiananmen Square to allegations that freight shipments of TV broadcasting equipment are being held up in Chinese ports," according to Stephen Wade of the AP. BOCOG Head of Media Operations Sun Weijia asked broadcasters to put complaints in writing, only to "draw protests about mounting paperwork." Olympic Games Exec Dir Gilbert Felli at the meeting said, "I think what I have heard here are just a number of conditions or requirements that are just not workable. There are a number of things that are just not feasible." The minutes of the meeting indicate that "procedures broadcasters have used in other Olympics are conflicting with China's authoritarian government," and some plans are "months behind schedule, which could force broadcasters to compromise coverage plans." AP Television News Dir of News Sandy MacIntyre: "We are two weeks away from putting equipment on a shipment and we have no clearance to operate, or to enter the country or a frequency allocation." The minutes of the meeting indicate that behind-the-scenes dialogue "differs markedly from the IOC's public statements about smooth cooperation with Beijing organizers." Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Dir of Sport John Barton, who attended the meeting, said, "The Chinese are very concerned about something going wrong -- and so they are in Olympic gridlock. ... They are suffocating the television coverage in the crazy pursuit of security. They can't secure the event. Nothing can be totally secure, yet they are trying to do that." Wade noted the "rights-holding broadcasters generally lauded the organizers' preparations, but worried about being stuck in a quagmire of security requirements." NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel at the meeting said that the "issues 'can be solved' and suggested the prospects are better than Athens or Turin, where he described some unspecified problems as 'irresolvable.'" Zenkel: "This can be the world's greatest Olympics." But Zenkel added that "certain 'obstacles' are hindering the organizers" (AP, 6/8).
NO CONFIDENCE? In Manchester, Paul Kelso reported the IOC publicly "expresses complete confidence in China's preparations" for the Beijing Games, but "behind the optimism lie deep anxieties about the most politically-charged and culturally challenging games in Olympic history." In addition to concerns over "making the games work," the IOC has "genuine fears that athletes who choose to speak out against the Chinese regime, critical media and any individuals daring to protest publicly could prompt a huge backlash from the authorities and the general public." With new security arrangements at many venues, the IOC fears that the "three-cordon procedure proposed by Beijing could prevent athletes, officials and media -- the three categories prioritised by the IOC -- from being able to smoothly attend venues." Broadcasters already setting up Beijing operations also have "experienced difficulties" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 6/7).
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