China blocks media’s access to Olympics websites

There have been some major issues during the Beijing Olympics over the past several weeks, and it would appear the Chinese government is trying its best to mask some of them.

With the Winter Olympics wrapping up on Sunday, Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times tweeted that he and others who are staying in the Beijing bubble have been denied access to several Olympics-related websites.

Good morning from the Beijing Olympics, where our hotel WiFi is now blocking access to several Olympics-related sites "for security reasons" as the Games enter their final day.

— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) February 20, 2022

Fenno is not the first member of the media to report an issue with accessing certain sites.

The Wifi in the Media Center in the #Olympic Bubble semms to be censored. It’s not behind the Chinese firewall (and therefore only non-Chinese personnel gets access! ). But some pages don’t open. Like ⁦@RadioFreeAsia⁩ ⁦@RFA_Chinese⁩ #China #censorship pic.twitter.com/CbE9lWnFqp

— Tamara Anthony (@TAMANTH) February 13, 2022

Though troubling, that is hardly a surprise. Censorship is nothing new for the Chinese government, and we’ve seen it with other sports as well.

A lot of athletes and members of the media are probably happy that the Olympics are coming to an end.

Photo: Feb 4, 2022; Beijing, CHINA; The Olympic Rings are raised during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Beijing National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports