After the diplomatic boycott, a new non-sporting subject is shaking up the Olympic sphere three weeks before the opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games: the fear of computer espionage. Like the first, he points the finger at the Chinese authorities.
Originally, an interview in the Dutch daily of Volkskrant, published at the beginning of the week. The spokesperson for the Dutch Olympic Committee, Geert Slot, explains that the body recommended that the athletes in the delegation leave their phones and laptops at home when flying to Beijing. A recommendation suggested by the risks of spying on personal data by the Chinese authorities.
"Cybersecurity has of course taken on greater importance in recent years, but China represents a very special case, as its authorities have completely locked down their Internet,” explained Geert Slot to of Volkskrant..
Since then, the position of the Dutch seems to have spread. A handful of other countries, among the most influential in the Olympic movement, have decided to follow suit.
A spokesperson for the British Olympic Committee (BOA) told the Guardian that the question had been discussed with the potential players selected for the Beijing 2022 Games: “ We have given athletes and delegation management practical advice so that they can make their own choice and decide whether or not to bring their personal devices to the Games. If they do not want to take their own equipment, we provide them with temporary devices that they can use on site"
Same position on the Australian side. The National Olympic Committee (AOC) also recommends that members of its delegation not take their phones or laptops with them. Rental devices will be made available to them upon their arrival in the Chinese capital. They will only be used for the duration of the Games.
In the United States, the issue is taken very seriously. Anything but a surprise. The Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) told prospective members of Team USA in a recently released bulletin that the use of rental computers and disposable phones was highly " encouraged » at the Beijing Games.
The document written by the USOPC is not nuanced: “ Like computers, mobile phone data and applications are subject to malicious intrusions, infections, and data compromise. Despite all the safeguards put in place to protect systems and data, it must be assumed that all data and communications in China can be monitored, compromised or blocked"
The American Olympic and Paralympic body does not require athletes to travel to Beijing without any connected device. But she strongly suggests that they favor devices rented on site, or at least erase all personal data from their cell phones, then use a VPN during their stay at the Winter Games.
In Canada, the federal Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, told The Canadian Press that the government worked closely together » with the national Olympic and Paralympic committees on the issue of cybersecurity. A series of training and information sessions was organized for future members of the delegation. A " solid plan » was prepared to protect athletes against the risks of espionage by the Chinese. But it is classified as defense secret.
In China, the fears of foreign delegations of spying on the personal data of participants in the Games have not yet been officially commented on by the authorities. Asked by several media, the organizing committee did not respond either. The IOC, for its part, kicked in during the technical press briefing organized on Wednesday January 12 from Beijing and Lausanne, explaining that the question was to be asked of the national Olympic committees concerned.
But a Chinese state daily, the Global Times, dealt with the matter in an editorial. Its author describes the Dutch position as a new attempt to arouse anti-Chinese sentiments. “ The accusation is based on fake news, ignorance and the West's own actions“, slices it Global Times. Really ?
