Late one night several weeks ago, my cell phone beeped with a message from a retired two-time Olympic gold medalist: "I have just updated my blog. Please take a look. Thanks."
I thought it would be just another entry in her Web diary about her life as a social celebrity in Beijing, such as photos of her posing with several attractive artistes after a sponsored badminton game. So I decided to see it some time later. I had been a long, rough day and it was time to hit the hay.
Over the next couple of days I totally forgot about the Olympic champion's Web journal, until I learned from newspaper reports that she had just revealed on her blog her lawsuit against a local publisher, which had allegedly failed to pay her royalties for her best-selling autobiography.
She had declined interview requests from news media as she referred reporters to her blog, where she had already said all she could say. Some newspapers later picked up her postings and ran with them.
In her latest entry, she announced that the publisher had now offered to pay her the full royalties, but added that she would not accept them without a formal apology.
As I read through her accounts of the legal battle that she had written for her fans and journalists, I couldn't help but marvel at the media power of the blog, a mixture of diary and commentary that comes with full text, video and audio functions.
It may have taken weeks or months for her to air her grievances in the traditional news media. But her blog allowed her to post her thoughts and opinions immediately and receive instant feedback from readers. It is unsurprising that many blog postings have grown into national media events overnight.
Another more famous example is Ai Dongmei, a former marathon champion who has just reached an out-of-court settlement with her coach, who she accused of withholding her salary and winnings.
In April this year, with no money and no job, Ai announced on her blog that she would be selling her medals to make ends meet. This caused a national stir after the traditional media reported her online offer.
However, this kind of "blog power" can also have unintended consequences. International Olympic Committee officials may become more wary of the prospect of athlete bloggers serving as reporters or news commentators on the sidelines of their competitions, something they wouldn't want to see at any Games.
I have browsed through the Web diaries of some potential Beijing Olympians, including two Athens gold medalists and several medal hopefuls who have yet to cut their teeth at the Games. Except for a few tit-for-tat interactions between Web surfers - one gymnast found it necessary to respond to disrespectful comments on photos of his girlfriend with sarcasm - they mostly focus on details such as training and daily life, avoiding anything more controversial than this.
These athlete bloggers have recently made arrangements with China's largest portals, which offer various incentives ranging from paying for content to providing online editorial support, if the athletes join their virtual communities.
If athletes are officially allowed to blog during the Beijing Games, which would set a new precedent in Olympic history, there will probably be strings attached, such as their being told to avoid causing any controversy or avoid posting photos, videos or audio files they take themselves at the Games, to protect the rights of accredited journalists.
It remains anybody's guess how blog power will actually be harnessed during the Beijing Games, as the International Olympic Committee has yet to reach a consensus on the issue, according to informed sources.
Email:yuanzhou@chinadaily.com.cn
