A correspondent for Dutch national broadcaster NOS was manhandled during a live news show shortly before the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing on Friday. (More Sports News)
Sjoerd den Daas was reporting on the opening of the Games when he was interrupted by a guard wearing a black coat and a red armband bearing the words "Security Volunteer". He was speaking to the camera when security guards pushed him away. He initially continued to report and told the anchor in the Netherlands, “I fear we will have to come back to you later.”
"We are now being pulled out of here," said Den Daas. "We have just been expelled from another area, so I'm afraid we'll have to come back to you later."
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The broadcaster said in a tweet that “sadly, this is increasingly the daily reality for journalists in China." It added that Den Daas is fine and was able to “complete his story a few minutes later.”
It's unclear why Den Daas was stopped from reporting.
Foreign reporters covering the Games have reportedly been subjected to strict protocols, including daily PCR testing and the mandatory use of a health-monitoring app.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, in its Safety Advisory, told reporters to create special work email addresses for their time in Beijing, as well as discarding their devices on returning home.
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"The Olympic Winter Games take place in Beijing, China from February 4-20, 2022. Journalists covering the event are likely to face a range of challenges from coronavirus restrictions to digital surveillance," it said.
"China has been the world’s worst jailer of journalists for three years running. Domestic journalists in mainland China face increasing censorship and control while the international media are operating in a hostile environment."
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday declared the Beijing 2022 open, making the city become the first to host both Winter and Summer Games.
While some are staying away from the second pandemic Olympics in six months, many other world leaders attended the opening ceremony. Most notable: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met privately with Xi earlier in the day as a dangerous standoff unfolds at Russia's border with Ukraine.
India also announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games after China fielded Qi Fabao, the regimental commander of the People's Liberation Army, who was injured during the 2020 military face-off with Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as a torchbearer for the event's Torch Relay.
