China’s troubled path to the Olympics is bound for further controversy after the announcement of the strictest security measures ever seen at the games.

Worried that pro-democracy or pro-Tibet activists will use the event to embarrass the regime, the Chinese authorities are insisting that tickets are embedded with a microchip containing the bearer’s photograph, passport details, addresses, e-mail and telephone numbers.

Critics have warned that the sheer effort of cross-checking just the 91,000 opening-event tickets could cause huge delays and tarnish the games before they have even begun.

Poor publicity has already undermined the Olympiad, first with the violent crackdown on protests in Tibet, and then with the repeated disruption of the international torch relay.

“I think maybe there will be some psychological effect on some foreign tourists who don’t understand the situation,” understates Zhang Huiguang, of the Beijing Tourism Administration. Hotel bookings in Beijing seem to confirm those fears.

The capital’s five-star properties are reporting just 77% occupancy for the games, and four-star hotels say just four rooms in every 10 have been reserved.

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