China is inviting the “non-accredited media” to cover the 2008 games:

Non-accredited media people from all around the world are also welcome to cover the Olympic Games, said an official yesterday. The Beijing Organizing Committed for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and Beijing government are busy preparing a press center for the non-accredited media. According to the Games regulations, the non-accredited media will not enjoy the same rights as those who have received accreditation. They will not be allowed to enter Olympic venues, take the media shuttle buses, or use the Olympic information system, Info 2008. “We are paying attention to the non-accredited media and we’re trying to provide as many services as possible in the press center,” deputy director of BOCOG media and communication department, Wang Hui, said. She did not reveal the location of the center, but said it would enjoy a very good view of the capital. The center will have the same time schedules as the Main Press Center, home for the accredited media. “We have learned from the experiences of the organizers of the Athens Games and Sydney Games, and we are now drafting an information extension plan to help non-accredited media get more information,” Wang said.

I wonder what’s going to happen when on the scene “Olympics” bloggers start writing about other issues in China, like the censorship and jailing of Chinese bloggers?

China, because of its size and rapid economic growth, has received the most attention from human rights groups. It has 137 million internet users, nearly 21 million of whom write blogs, according to The Irish Times, and is known to be extremely technologically adept at censoring the web. There are rumoured to be an incredible 40,000 officials employed by the state to monitor internet postings and protect what has been dubbed “the great firewall of China”. According to Amnesty International’s 2006 report Undermining Freedom of Expression in China, “controls operate at every level, from service providers, internet cafes, blog managers to individual demands. However … the effectiveness of censorship in China still rests on self-censorship as companies, institutions and individuals seek to avoid punishments associated with crossing the line.”