Team GB athletes told not to take phones to Beijing Winter Olympics over spying fears, says report

Team GB athletes have been advised to not bring their phones to the Beijing Winter Olympics due to fears over spying, according to a report.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) will offer athletes alternative phones to bring with them, in a move thought to be unprecedented for an Olympics.

Competitors have been asked to consider leaving their personal devices at home, due to fears over spying.

The BOA are not alone in recommending the move, with its Dutch counterpart also understood to have taken the same course of action. More are expected to follow suit, the Daily Telegraph reveals.

British athletes will begin flying out to Beijing a fortnight before the games, which take place between 4-20 February. The BOA staff are expected to travel from next week.

The BOA have used in-country devices for games in the past, but staff have taken personal equipment with them as well, something they are not expected to do in Beijing.

Outside agencies as well as the BOA's personal security and IT team are believed to have recommended the course of action while devising the group's cyber-security strategy for the Games.

A BOA spokesperson said: “We’ve given athletes and staff practical advice so that they can make their own choice as to whether they take their personal devices to the Games, or not. Where they do not want to take their own equipment, we have provisioned temporary devices for them to use".

Chinese authorities are set to open a crack in the 'Great Firewall of China' for athletes travelling to the games who wish to post on their social media pages, as there is usually a block on the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Taking alternative phones would help athletes utilising the internet in China prevent those authorities accessing data held on athletes' personal devices.