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As the Olympic torch wends its way eastward, countries have been coming up with some novel ideas about how to keep the procession from being marred by protests. You won't be seeing any more images of rabid protestors waving signs and Tibetan flags from the torch's visit to Indonesia, for example.

On Tuesday in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, torchbearers ran laps inside a stadium in front of an invitation-only crowd. The Chinese Embassy had requested that the relay be shortened instead of parading the torch through the streets as planned.

There's really nothing more stirring than watching people run around in a circle with a torch in their hand. Unless, of course, those people are running in front of a crowd of Indonesian bureaucrats who couldn't find anything better to do with their Tuesday. Pakistan will also be holding an invitation-only event when the torch comes to the country.

Meanwhile, Nepal, Tibet's neighbor, won't be issuing invitations because they've got their own safeguards in place to assure a swift and safe trip to the summit of Mount Everest.

Security forces on the mountain have permission to shoot mountaineers engaged in anti-Chinese activities, according to a Home Ministry official.

Remember, kiddies, the Olympics are a politics-free zone. No matter how many members of government security forces shoot you dead for expressing your opinion, it's all about the sports and only about the sports.

(H/T Deadspin)