Cliff Coonan has a story in showbiz trade Variety that examines the broadcasting problems I posted about last week. The article is something of an omnibus piece on current Olympic issues. Among other things, it gets into the organizers' efforts to develop and promote an official cheer. This part is worth highlighting:

While Beijing is on the defensive against attacks, it is also taking extensive steps to make everyone feel welcome -- and to show national enthusiasm at the Games.

The four-part Olympic cheer will be taught at schools, promoted on TV, and instructions will be available as part of a poster campaign. It officially will be used to fire up the national team, but can be used to inspire other countries.

Step 1: Clap twice while chanting "Olympics."

Step 2: Give the thumbs up with your arms extended upward, while chanting "Let's go!"

Step 3: Clap twice chanting "China."

Step 4: Punch the air with your fists, your arms extended, shouting "Let's go!"

The cheer is a joint invention of the Communist Party's Office of Spiritual Civilization Development & Guidance, the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. It was launched in the Media Center of national state broadcaster, China Central Television.

"We want to engage in activities to better promote civilized gestures in the stadiums, to cheer on the Olympics and to cheer on China. This gesture demonstrates to the world the charisma of the Chinese people and our enthusiasm," says Guo Zhenxi, head of CCTV's Center for Advertising and Economic Information.

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has assigned 30 cheering squads to show spectators how it is done at Games stadiums, the Xinhua news agency reports.

But it isn't just all about the home team. The government has appointed hundreds of schoolchildren to cheer for various countries during the Games, with individual schools ordered to adopt a specific nation.

Unsurprisingly, the schools that were given Japan, China's long-standing regional rival, have an opt-out clause in which they get to cheer for China if there is a head-to-head between athletes from both countries.

Imagethief can think of no organization better equipped to craft an expression of mass public joy and enthusiasm than the Communist Party's Office of Spiritual Civilization Development & Guidance, the Ministry of Education. I get tingly just thinking about it, and I'm sure, despite the description above, that it will look nothing like the "Macarena" in practice.

However, if I were the Japanese I'd feel aggrieved by the cheering opt-out and ask for permission to import an extra quota of cheering schoolchildren from abroad. They could come from Japan, or, if that's too expensive, from lower-cost nation like, say, Burundi or Suriname.

Less ridiculously, People's Daily Online reports that the fine for illegally webcasting Olympic events will be steep:

According to the spokesman of the State Copyright Bureau, any illegal Olympic events webcasting and violations on video websites will be forbidden from now until mid-October 2008.

Any individual without authorization who uploads recorded Olympic events or pirated Olympics video broadcasting websites will face up to 100,000RMB in penalties.

***

People with copyrights and the public are welcome to participate in this anti-piracy campaign. Xu revealed that the public could report illegal broadcasting through the reporting platform on the State Copyright Bureau website or dialing the "12390" anti-piracy hotline to collaborate with the government. People involved will be rewarded for the reports that are verified.

Got that? Collaborators will be rewarded. Considering that uploaders themselves will probably be able to remain anonymous, video sharing companies already under the regulatory thumb may want to ask themselves whether their staff will be eligible for a reward for selling them out, and manage appropriately.

Finally, as reported by Richard Spencer in the Telegraph, the BBC has said that it will damn sure (my choice of words) show any protests that occur in or around events where it happens to have cameras:

The BBC, the only British broadcaster with access to stadiums this summer, says it cannot be expected to hide demonstrations if they happen at events where they have cameras.

Its decision, which it stresses will be applied "responsibly", will increase Beijing's nervousness as the Games approach.

The Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, BOCOG, has already had angry exchanges with the world's leading broadcasters who complain of delays over permits to bring their equipment into the country and to deploy them around the city.

Dave Gordon, head of major sports events for the BBC, told The Daily Telegraph that Beijing had become "more difficult" for broadcasters than the Moscow Games in 1980.

He said international representatives had tried to get answers for two years on whether the Olympic broadcasting agency that provides the only feed of the actual events would show footage of protests if they occurred.

"They fudge the question," he said. "They won't commit to saying yes, they will cover it or no, they will not cover it. They put a lot of stress on the importance of covering the sport. I think we have to draw our own conclusions."

Call me cynical, but Imagethief is prepared to hazard a guess that the answer to Mr. Gordon's question is "no".

Update:

Charles Frith has a graphic of the Olympic cheer. Check it out!

See also:

Wall Street Journal's China Journal blog on Duncan Clark's presentation on Chinese video sharing services, from the China Internet Research Conference. (And Kaiser's guide to official write ups on all the sessions.A and, as long as I'm at it, the CIRC site itself.)