Gagging sporters does not seem smart

You wonder why people still write novels, while reality itself can be so amazing. The news that sport people had to sign a gagging order before being admitted to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as the British media disclosed, is nothing short of amazing. The Countdown to Beijing's overview of the mayhem:

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has backed down on its plan to stop athletes making political statements in China under pain of being sent back home and will reword the contract they all have to sign before going to Beijing.
One newspaper report said they would be given media training to help them respond to any awkward questions about human rights or Tibet this Summer.

It is not yet clear who had the brilliant idea of adding a new gagging clause to the already 32 page contract sporters have to sign. The British might have done so, but many other countries are going to check what their sporters have been signing to allow them to go to Beijing. And whether this was a clever idea that originated from the IOC, from the Beijing Committee. This is not yet over.