Sure they do. I don't think the legality is in dispute.
However, the Olympics is a PR coup for the host, not to mention a few $ in the kitty. I'm not too sure religious persecution fits into that very well.
I'd also be interested to know if the athletes from the ME are forbidden to bring their personal copies of the Koran .....
These people did not just bring "personal" copies. They brought them for the express purpose of passing them out to CHINESE citizens.
