China are planning on meeting any protest with heavy security [AFP]

The pack, launched by the Australia Tibet Council in Sydney by former Olympic swimmer Michelle Engelsman, includes a T-shirt in Australia's green and gold national colors featuring the words "I support human rights'' in both Mandarin and English.

It also contains a collection of badges, stickers and temporary tattoos showing the Tibetan flag.

The T-shirt's slogan was chosen to ensure it doesn't make explicit reference to Tibet, campaign coordinator Dr. Simon Bradshaw said.

But he admitted the badges and stickers "don't necessarily fall within the rules of the Australian Olympic Committee'' and may not be allowed into the Olympic Village.

Bradshaw also said there was "every chance'' the resource packs could be confiscated from Australian athletes and spectators at the airport when they enter China.

"(There is) no doubt that athletes who choose to make public statements over Tibet may face consequences,'' he said.

AOC no go

Australian Olympic Committee spokesman Mike Tancred said his organisation had recommended that no athlete traveling to China take the pack.

"There is a Chinese law which says you cannot take that kind of material into the country,'' Tancred said.

"And it is also a breach of IOC Rule 51, which says there can be no religious, political or racial demonstrations during the Games.

"We strongly recommend against them taking any of these packs. We don't condone the T-shirts in particular because they can only antagonize other athletes, including Chinese, in the village, and we want to avoid that.''

Engelsman, who competed at the Athens Olympics, said the packs in no way placed pressure on athletes to speak out in Beijing.

"There are a lot of socially conscious athletes, but whether or not they decide to speak out at the Games is up to them,'' Engelsman said.

The packs also contain background information on Tibet and guidelines on what athletes and spectators going to Beijing can do, according to the Olympic charter.

Available to spectators

The Australia Tibet Council will provide the packs in confidence to any Australian heading to Beijing.

Peaceful protests that began on March 10 in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa to mark the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against China's rule of Tibet escalated into widespread violence across the city on March 14.

China says 22 people died in Lhasa, while foreign Tibet supporters say many times that number were killed during the demonstrations and subsequent rackdown.

The Olympic torch relay was also marred by protests in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe and the United States.

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