Organizers of the Beijing Olympics sought to quash reports that Bibles would be prohibited at the games next year, saying last week that religious texts for personal use are welcome, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Li Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympics media center, said texts and items from major religious groups that are brought for personal use by athletes and visitors are permitted. A notice on the official Beijing Olympics Web site explaining entry procedures into the country said that "each traveler is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China."

The U.S. State Department said in a report earlier this year that more than 100 foreign missionaries have reportedly been expelled in what critics say is an effort to "tighten control on Christian house churches prior to the 2008 Olympics," the AP reported.

Religion in China is regulated by the ruling Communist party, which is atheist. Worship is allowed only in party-controlled churches, and organizers of home churches face harassment, arrest and terms in labor camps or prison. Bibles are allowed to be sold only in the approved churches.

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