No one could have ever predicted that China would backtrack on its promises of free and unfettered access for foreign journalists covering the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee is set to earn 30 percent more during Beijing 2008 Olympic Games than in Athens, reports Radio Netherlands.

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), meeting today in Beijing at its final meeting before the 2008 Olympic Games, has reached a decision in the case of Mr. Antonio Pettigrew, a member of the US team who placed first in the Mens 4x400 relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.