Beijing, July 22, 2008 - Night club and bar entertainers in Beijing  must have approval from the central government before they can perform during  the Olympics, state media said Tuesday, quoting the Beijing Culture Bureau.

Bureau spokeswoman Wang Zhu said some acts had already been banned but  denied a crackdown on bars and night clubs was under way in the run-up to the  Games.

"All performances that have been approved by the government after normal  application procedures are still going on in Beijing," she was quoted as saying  by Xinhua news agency.

"All the banned performances are those without government approval."

She said the ban targetted overseas performers who had tourist visas but  did not have permission to give commercial performances.

Some popular Beijing night spots have been told not to offer entertainment  or have been shut down ahead of the August 8-24 Olympics in a pre-Games  security crackdown.

Popular bars and restaurants deemed too close to some of the Olympic  venues, such as the Workers' Stadium in downtown Beijing, have been told to  close as part of a security clampdown.

Other bars have been banned from offering entertainment and told they must  first seek performance licences from the national culture ministry, according  to bar owners.