British athletes competing at this year's Olympic Games in China will be forced to sign a contract promising not to speak out on political issues, the Mail on Sunday has reported.

The newspaper said the British Olympic Association had inserted a clause in the 32-page contracts that all athletes who meet the qualifying standard and are chosen for Beijing will have to sign.

It said the BOA confirmed to them that any athlete refusing to sign the agreement will not be allowed to travel and that any British participant who signs the document then speaks out during the games will be sent home.

The Press Association later carried a response from a BOA spokesman, who did not deny that the clause was in place and said they did not want athletes using the games as a "soap box".

But he added: "Clearly what we are not trying to do is suppress comment or debate from our athletes. If an individual is asked a direct question and makes a response that's fine."

The clause in section four of the contract states that athletes "are not to comment on any politically sensitive issues", which could include China's human rights record, according to the Mail on Sunday.

It then refers to section 51 of the International Olympic Committee charter, which "provides for no kind of demonstration, or political, religious or racial propaganda in the Olympic sites, venues or other areas".

BOA chief executive Simon Clegg was quoted as telling the newspaper: "There are all sorts of organisations who would like athletes to use the Olympic Games as a vehicle to publicise their causes.

"I don't believe that is in the interest of the team performance. As a team we are ambassadors of the country and we have to conform to an appropriate code of conduct."

He added: "I have to act in the interest of the whole British team, not one individual. No athlete is above being part of the team. There is a requirement on team members to sign the agreement.

"If athletes step out of line, action will have to be taken."

The Mail on Sunday drew parallels with an order to England's footballers from Britain's Foreign Office and Football Association to give the Nazi salute before a friendly game against Germany in Berlin in 1938.

It published a black and white photograph of the team, their right arms raised, saying it was still a "national disgrace".

The game was played weeks after dictator Adolf Hitler had annexed Austria and came during prime minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement policy towards Nazi Germany, which was seen as a failure and forced him out of office.

David Mellor, a former minister in prime minister John Major's government, wrote in a comment piece that the BOA's clause was a "squalid attempt to suppress legitimate criticism of the Chinese regime by British athletes".

He called on Clegg to "pause and consider what effect kow-towing to totalitarian governments had in the run-up to the Second World War: none on the dictators, lasting shame on the appeasers".

Like many countries, Britain is keen to boost links with China because of its booming economy and increasing global clout. Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited last month, hailing strengthened economic, social and cultural ties.

Britain and China have regular meetings on human rights but not at senior ministerial level.

Last month, a Tibet rights group said Prince Charles will not attend the opening ceremony in Beijing because of Beijing's record there.

Charles's sister Princess Anne is BOA president and an IOC member. Anne's daughter, Zara Phillips, is a world champion equestrian competitor likely to be in the British Olympic squad.

AFP