"We have no major concerns about the food in Beijing," Bernard Cotton, head of performance fort the British Olympic Association, told reporters in the Chinese territory of Macau.

The U.S. Olympic Team has said it will fly in thousands of tons of meat and other foods for its more than 600 athletes staying in central Beijing for the Aug. 8-24 Games. U.S. Olympic officials are concerned that food tainted with chemicals or other drugs could not only pose a health risk to an athlete but could trigger a positive drug test.

Cotton said catering facilities at the Olympic Village where the bulk of international athletes will be staying during this summer's Games are "of the highest order" and that the British team was not worried about contamination.

"One of the dangers of the Olympic Village is athletes putting on weight, not getting ill," he said.

Cotton said there was concern about Beijing's air pollution, and that "some" athletes might choose to wear face-masks, but no decision had been taken for the team as a whole.

He reiterated that British athletes would not be asked to sign any new agreements restricting them from commenting on political issues during the Games, other than what was contained in the International Olympic Committee's charter.

"We have no intention of applying any further restrictions than what is written in the IOC charter and what's in previous team documents," he said.

Amid criticism that it was gagging athletes, the BOA appeared to drop a plan to strengthen the segment of its agreement banning political comments. Cotton said the agreement would be exactly the same as the one signed by athletes for the past two Olympic Games.

"The (IOC) agreement is focused on creating an environment in which all athletes can concentrate on their performances and not be distracted by nonperformance issues," he added.

Cotton said about half the British team would be based in tiny territory of Macau and would travel to Beijing 48-72 hours before their events.

The choice of Macau had raised eyebrows in the neighboring Chinese territory of Hong Kong, which up until 1997 had been a British colony. Reports suggested Hong Kong's choking pollution had driven the team to seek an alternative, but Cotton said the decision was based more on ease of transport.

"A 25 minute drive from our hotel (in Macau) and our athletes can be at the most distant training facilities. Our experience of Hong Kong is that it's very busy, it's frenetic and it wouldn't produce the same coherent, compact operations," he said.

Asked if he was concerned that the athletes would be distracted by the plethora of casinos in the former Portugese colony of Macau _ the only place in China where casino gambling is legal _ Cotton was adamant his team would not risk their performance at the tables.

"They will be the most boring lot of athletes you have ever met. They will eat, they will train and they will sleep ... and they will go to Beijing healthy and rested from their experience in Macau."

The first of over 250 athletes, coaches and medical staff staying in Macau will arrive on July 23.