China

Chinese officials assured news organizations "complete freedom to report" when bidding for the games seven years ago, now it has backed away from a promise to lift all Internet blocks on foreign media. Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive Web sites despite promises of unrestricted access, attempts at the main press center to access the Web site of Amnesty International, which released a report on Monday slamming China for failing to honor its Olympic human rights pledges, continued to prove fruitless by mid-week.

Other Web sites, including those relating to the banned spiritual group Falun Gong, are also inaccessible.