The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is generally satisfied with the preparatory work for the press done by the organizers of the Beijing Games, head of the IOC press commission Kevan Gosper said Tuesday.

More than 21,600 accredited and many more non-accredited journalists are expected to descend on Beijing this summer.

IOC executive director Gilbert Felli told participants at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) assembly in Beijing Tuesday the number of applications for accreditation for this year's Olympics is twice that of previous Games.

The central government agreed to provide free and open access to Internet and foreign publications for international and domestic journalists coming to Beijing this summer, following the protocol of previous Games, earlier reports said.

"I just see communications and the freedom to have views continuing to change for the better in China," Gosper told China Daily Tuesday at the ANOC assembly.

"The Olympic experience will be a good experience for the Chinese authorities."

"Three years ago, the changes in legislations for journalists would have been almost unimaginable."

In December 2006, the State Council released a temporary regulation to improve the reporting environment for international journalists during the Olympic games and the preparatory period between January 2007 and October 2008.

Former minister of State Council Information Office Cai Wu said last December that if the regulations can help international communities to better know China and are in line with China's reform, there is no reason that such regulation should just be temporary.

Gosper also praised Chinese officials for their "open mindedness" toward journalists.

"Mr Jiang Xiaoyu is very interested in supporting the interests of Chinese journalists as well as international journalists. He has a very open mind," he said of the executive vice-president of BOCOG, the organizing committee of the Beijing Olympic Games.

"The Chinese have been very open-minded to draw on the experiences of previous Games organizers ... The experience of the Chinese Games will be very valuable for London," he said.