TV station threatened over sneak preview of Games' opening gala

Irate Olympics organisers yesterday threatened to take action against a South Korean TV network that released an unauthorised sneak preview of the opening ceremony's gala show - regarded as a top national secret on the mainland.

The two-minute footage offered viewers a brief but tantalising peek at what to expect in the 31/2-hour opening ceremony - which has taken thousands of people more than three years to prepare and has been guarded with tight security - on August 8.

The footage, which first appeared in a programme on the South Korean TV station SBS, was quickly picked up by several websites including the popular YouTube.

It was not clear how SBS - one of South Korea's four major TV stations - obtained the footage from the 'Bird's Nest' stadium. But the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Bocog) was not impressed.

'We are deeply upset by the leak,' said Wang Hui, a Bocog spokeswoman. 'We believe this [was done by] stealth, because we have never invited any media guests for the rehearsals ... We don't rule out further actions against the broadcaster.'

The International Olympic Committee also joined in the condemnation last night. 'We understand people's eagerness to get a sneak preview of spectacular events. But we also call for the media's respect for all the efforts we put in to keep this secret,' IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. Mainland authorities have ordered all mainland websites that carried the footage to delete it.