"It’s learning of it at almost the last minute that I think is destabilizing the international media and certainly embarrassing for me, as up till 48 hours ago I was insisting it would be free and uncensored Internet access," IOC press chief Kevan Gosper told Reuters.

Gosper said the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) had changed the language it has used recently from "uncensored" Internet access to "convenient and timely." He said the IOC was taken by surprise that some Web sites had been blocked.

Amnesty International, whose Web site is blocked in China, was critical of Internet censorship during the Games. "The International Olympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games should fulfill their commitment to ‘full media freedom’ and provide immediate uncensored Internet access at Olympic media venues," said Mark Allison, East Asia researcher for Amnesty International

"Censorship of the internet at the Games is compromising fundamental human rights and betraying the Olympic values."

BOCOG spokesman Sun Weide said Internet restrictions would not prevent the media from covering the Games. He did admit access to some Web sites would be blocked.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) will offer tickets through a lottery system. Ticket applications will be accepted from December10 until December 30. There is no word on many tickets each person can purchase or when the lottery will take place.

A lottery was held in June for the first round of 1.6 million tickets. The sale of those tickets went smoothly. China plans to sell seven million tickets for the games over three phases with three-quarters of the tickets reserved for local residents.

Last week when the Olympic tickets were for sale online the system received more than eight million hits in the first hour causing the site to crash. The site could only handle one million hits and 150,000 sales in an hour. Just 9,000 tickets out of the 1.85 million that went on sale were sold.

Organizers said they are using the lottery system, "In the interest of fairness and for everyone’s convenience." People living outside of China will get a chance to buy tickets in April 2008.

The Web site received 8 million hits in the first hour it was open and the ticketing telephone line had 3. 8 million calls, according to the Olympic organizing committee. Organizers said they had not anticipated the demand and will announce plans for sales on November 5. Only 9,000 tickets out of the 1.85 million that went on sale were sold.

"We sincerely apologize to the general public,” Beijing officials said. “Because of the overwhelming volume of page visits, the technical system was unable to perform the tasks well enough, and many applicants were unable to successfully submit their applications.”

A lottery in June for the first round of 1.6 million tickets went well. China plans to sell seven million tickets for the games over three phases with three-quarters of the tickets going to local residents.

"Tuesday morning’s turnout for the ticket sale fully reflected the Chinese people’s longing and support for the Olympic Games," China’s Olympic organizers said.