Snap? Professional Cameras Banned at the Summer Olympics The International Olympic Committee has already limited internet access for journalists covering the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China — which is bad enough — but now they are even imposing bans on professional camera equipment. The actual definition of "professional camera equipment" wasn't clearly defined on the official Olympics website, but many believe that this includes SLRs with big lenses (ones which would block views for spectators during the games).