It is good to see that the Government and Olympic officials have decided to back down on plans to deny the members of the NZ Olympic team a right to free speech while at this year's games. There are some suggestions that there is still going to be a restriction on the right to blog - this from the Greens
"Some concerns still remain. In the House, the Minister was unable to confirm whether our athletes will be free to write blogs, which is currently forbidden by a separate clause [7.1 (d) (i)] in their contract.
"Australian athletes in Beijing will be free to write blogs, and there is no good reason why New Zealand athletes should not enjoy the same freedom.
Clearly The Hive supports the right of NZ Olympic team members to blog while in Beijing. We would also hope that New Zealand is insisting that team members are able to read their favorite New Zealand blogs while in China. At present The Hive appears to be blocked by Chinese sensors.
