IOC Criticizes BOCOG For Lack Of Protests, Poor Attendance

IOC Officials Criticizing BOCOG For Intolerance Of Public Protests

LOOKING INTO ACTIONS BY NOCs: In Manchester, Matt Scott reports the IOC is preparing to "launch an investigation into suspicions that National Olympic Committee [NOC] officials have been corruptly selling tickets." BOCOG Exec VP & General Secretary Wang Wei "appeared to be hinting that the fault for the touting epidemic lies with the NOCs." China authorities have "arrested touts and confiscated tickets," and Wang said that "applications for tickets from the world's NOCs had risen 60% against Athens levels." The IOC in its investigation will "attempt to uncover how the tickets fell into the hands" of the scalpers. An IOC spokesperson said, "We were given a breakdown of the tickets sold to the general public and the NOCs" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 8/20). VANOC Exec VP/Revenue, Marketing & Communications Dave Cobb ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Games "has warned [NOCs] that if they are caught illegally supplying preferred-access tickets to ticket brokers -- a traditional source of revenue for some committees -- they risk having every ticket sold to them cancelled through bar-code technology" (VANCOUVER SUN, 8/19).

BOCOG Officials Showing Concern Over Empty Seats At Olympic Venues

WATCH DOGS: In N.Y., Jacobs & Moynihan report Chinese authorities yesterday arrested five American protesters after they spelled out "Free Tibet" with blue LED lights near the National Stadium. Three other people, including a N.Y. artist who "fashions giant displays with lasers on buildings," were detained for a separate protest. Both protests were organized by Students for a Free Tibet (N.Y. TIMES, 8/20). Meanwhile, in DC, Chris O'Brien writes it has been a "bust Olympics for China's censors," who have sought to "bury negative stories or remove any reference to links between bad news" and the Beijing Games. The Chinese media following the death of American tourists at the beginning of the Olympics "remained silent, but it appears not for want of trying," and other newsworthy incidents "have been completely ignored." A bus crash last week involving members of the Croatia rowing team, which killed two China residents, was "never reported in the domestic media, in English or Chinese" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 8/20).

SECURITY SYSTEM: IBF President Dr. Harvey Schiller appeared on Fox Business last night to discuss the security surrounding the Beijing Games and said Chinese officials have done a “superb job.” Schiller: “The city functions normally, but to get into any of the venues where the sports occur, the security starts at a distance from the arenas and from the stadiums.” Schiller said the Olympic Village is “lockdown tight. ... There’s very, very limited access for anyone else” (“America’s Nightly Scoreboard,” Fox Business, 8/19).

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