Chinese officials say foreign journalists covering the Beijing Olympic Games will not have completely uncensored access to the internet.
A top spokesman said sites relating to spiritual movement Falun Gong would be blocked.
German Discus Champion Dietzsch Rules Herself Out of Olympics ...
China complains about Tibetan flag on Czech PM's jacket - press ...
German Athletes Feel the Pressure of Olympic Gold ...
Japan, China agree on disputed gas field ...
Germany Tightens Rules on Violent Computer Games ...
Taiwanese diplomats in Beijing ... Another said other unspecified sites would also be unavailable.
China enforces tough internet controls, but said when it bid for the Games that journalists would be free to report.
Journalists have complained they cannot access some news or human rights sites.
The International Olympic Committee says it will look into the journalists' complaints.
'Sufficient access'
More than 20,000 foreign media personnel are due in the Chinese capital to cover the Olympic Games, which begin on 8 August. Many are already moving into the press and broadcast centres in Beijing.
On Tuesday, they were reportedly unable to access the website of Amnesty International as it released a critical report on China's human rights record.
Some international news pages and sites that dealt with issues such as Tibet were also inaccessible, reports from Beijing said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed that websites relating to the Falun Gong spiritual movement were blocked.
"As to sites related to Falun Gong, I think you know that Falun Gong is a cult that has been banned according to law, and we will adhere to our position," he told a news conference on Tuesday.
He suggested that part of the problem with other sites could lie with the sites themselves.
"There are some problems with a lot of websites themselves that makes it not easy to view them in China," he said. "Our attitude is to ensure that foreign journalists have regular access to information in China during the Olympic Games."
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Olympic organising committee told the French news agency AFP that other - unspecified - sites were blocked.
But Sun Weide declined to provide more details when asked by the BBC.
"During the Olympic Games we will provide reporters with sufficient and convenient internet access so the Olympic Games will not be affected," he said.
A senior member of the International Olympic Committee, Kevan Gosper, said the IOC would examine the complaints.
If journalists were unable to report on the Games, the IOC would take the matter up with organisers "immediately", Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
(BBC)
<< Back