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The rise of China, he said, meant that the global community could no longer take "the forward march of democracy for granted". His pleas for democracy would have been more sincere if he didn't have to acknowledge last week that the Blair Government had allowed "extraordinary rendition" flights to land on its soil.

Researching my forthcoming book on the Internet in repressive regimes, including China, I discovered that the web in many countries isn't simply a democratising tool as defined in the West. It may allow a user easier access to local officials. It may allow a woman to more easily meet a man. It may facilitate a debate between a citizen in a rural area and a city-dweller. But only a handful of people are interested or brave enough to agitate for serious political change. The introduction of a Netizen Party in China, while admirable and potentially revolutionary, is limited to a tiny, elite audience.

The leading Communist Party newspaper has issued a stern warning to local or international players keen to discredit China. These moves were destined to fail, it wrote, because "no country in the world will compromise its core interests to host the Olympics".

From Taiwanese independence to Tibet, and human rights to Internet repression, the August games remain an ideal time to highlight issues that the Chinese regime would rather ignore. Athletes may even blog about them. Besides, since when has the Olympic Games ever just been about sport?