Olympic Committee Tells Athletes to Avoid Political Statements.

The article reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sent letters to all national Olympic organizing committees stating that athletes should avoid clothes, gestures or actions that demonstrate political, religious or racial propaganda at the various locations of Olympic games in Beijing, China. The letter represents the most explicit pronouncements of IOC as of May 2008, explaining a prohibition on the use of the Olympic Games as a political venue. The move is reportedly an attempt to prevent protests in the most controversial Games.