WebProNews

The International Olympic Committee has issued updated rules for new media covering the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The rules will allow media organizations to use their own Web sites to host written and photographic coverage of the games if it is for normal journalistic and editorial use. "The Internet is an important medium for the communication and promotion of sport and the Olympic Movement," the IOC said in the guidelines.

"The IOC understands that media organizations have integrated this medium in their business and will be feeding their own websites with Olympic-themed content to target the online audience and to better serve fans."

Non-rights holders will be allowed to broadcast online all or a portion of a news conference that takes plaice in the Media Press Centre with a 30 minute delay.

Most sites will not be allowed to broadcast any other video or audio clips because they are protected by intellectual property rights given to licensed rights-holders.

Web sites in Australia will be able to show short videos under an agreement between Seven Network and the IOC. The deal says that non-official sites will be allowed to run three minutes of Olympic events a day, in 60 second clips, but will have to block their sites so they cannot be seen by Internet user outside Australia.

Kevan Gosper, Australia's senior IOC member, said, "It is a fairly significant development. The IOC has, for a long time, been at the forefront of supporting both the rights of the official rights holders and fair access to news about the Olympics for media around the world."