Offend China and you'll be thrown out of the Olympics

The International Olympic Committee are allowing competitors to write cyberspace journals for the first time but have drawn up tough guidelines in another attack on freedom of speech ahead of the most controversial Games for decades.

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Athletes who stray from the regulations risk having their official Olympic accreditation withdrawn, which would deny them access to venues and effectively prevent them from competing.

China is notorious for controlling its citizens' access to the internet, and the IOC's guidelines, which seek also to prevent the Olympic brand from being associated with anything other than official sponsors, will be seen as another kowtow to the authoritarian regime.

Earlier this year, The Mail On Sunday revealed plans by the British Olympic Association to include a clause forbidding athletes from commenting on 'politically sensitive issues' in the Team Members' Agreement signed by every British athlete, with the threat of being sent home if they breached the rule.

Subsequent protests led to the BOA backing down and removing the clause, but the TMA still includes specific reference to the IOC rules on blogging, and BOA chairman Lord Moynihan confirmed officials were still working out the full implications of the guidelines.

It remains unclear whether journalists who write blogs in addition to their reporting duties risk losing their accreditation if they breach the rules.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International last night condemned the IOC for denying athletes freedom of expression, on top of failing to hold China to the promises to improve human rights which were made in their bid to host the Games. Kristyan Benedict, manager of Amnesty International UK's China campaign, said: 'All over China, people who criticise the government in their blogs or other websites can face censorship or even arrest. The IOC have failed to hold the Chinese authorities to their Olympic promise of improving human rights. Now there are worries that athletes' free speech might be restricted as well.'

In the three-page document, the IOC claim they regard blogging 'as a legitimate form of personal expression' but then proceed to set down rules which appear to restrict severely what athletes can say. In particular, the requirement that any material 'be confined solely to their own personal Olympic-related experience' appears to exclude any comments, critical or otherwise, about China or, indeed, their own government or national Olympic committee.

An IOC spokeswoman said: 'The IOC appreciate that blogging broadens the appeal of the Games and, wanting to bring the Games to the widest possible audience, have for the first time given a green light to blogging.

'We do, however, have guidelines for the simple fact that the rights of broadcasters, accredited journalists, copyright agreements and security must be protected.'