Russia to curb photos of Olympics

Russia may bar journalists from using their phones to take photos or videos of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Vasily Konov, head of R-Sport, a state-run news agency that is handling accreditation for the games, told reporters last week that they will need special badges and professional equipment to take pictures or videos, Buzzfeed reported, citing Russian outlets. 

Using amateur technology such as a phone to document the games would be “considered a serious violation” and could lead to the journalists having their accreditation cancelled, Konov said, according to the news site.

Konov denied making the comments and called one news report a “monstrous lie,” Buzzfeed wrote. 

The rules would only apply to journalists and not spectators. 

The Atlantic Wire points out that similar restrictions for videos (but not photos) were in place for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London but weren’t widely enforced. 

The 2012 Olympics press kit stated that video and audio “must only be for personal use and must not be uploaded and/or shared to a posting.”