China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek

[TheLancinator]

China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
By Chris Chase


Olympic gold medalist and outspoken Darfur activist Joey Cheek has had his visa revoked by the Chinese embassy, hours before the speedskating champion was set to fly to China. And he wasn't even planning on wearing a mask when he got there.

Chinese officials don't need a reason to revoke anyone's visa but, in their eyes, they had plenty of reasons to snatch Cheek's. He is the founder of Team Darfur, a group of 70 athletes whose goal it is to raise global awareness of the human-rights violations taking part in the Darfur region of Sudan. China's military, economic and diplomatic ties to Sudan have been well-publicized in the lead-up to the Games.

Said Cheek of his ban in a prepared statement:

"I am saddened not to be able to attend the Games. The Olympic Games represent something powerful: that people can come together from around the world and do things that no one thought were possible. However, the denial of my visa is a part of a systemic effort by the Chinese government to coerce and threaten athletes who are speaking out on behalf of the innocent people of Darfur.

Cheek was going to China to support the athletes on Team Darfur -- including soccer player Abby Wambach -- and to promote the cause, one that he has championed for years. After winning gold in the Torino Games, Cheek announced he was donating his $25,000 USOC bonus to Darfur and implored his sponsors to do the same. It seems that Joey Cheek is truly one of the good guys.

And now he's out of China before he even got there. With the Games getting closer (just two days away now), the world seemed ready to forget about all the Chinese issues in order to focus on the Games themselves. Unfortunately, China's actions make that impossible. In a time when we should be wondering who will light the Olympic cauldron, whether Michael Phelps can break an all-time record and how Liu Xiang will react to the pressure of 1.3 billion of his countrymen hanging on his every step, we're instead left to discuss the Chinese government's reluctance to allow any dissension in their country, despite repeated promises that they'd clean up their act when the Olympics came to town.

[Meursault]

doh, these are easily the olympic games I look the least forward to. It was a mistake from day one to award the games to China because it was obvious they weren't going to pay fair in any aspect of the whole thing. But seeing how the IOC is set to generate a revenue of 4.5 billion dollars from these games, it is probably too much to ask that they take petty stuff such as substance abuse and human/civil rights seriously.

[TheLancinator]

I can't believe the IOC bought into the whole idea that China would change just for the Olympic games. And all we are hearing about is the major stuff...makes me wonder what other things are going on behind the scenes there.

The IOC is a complete joke, but I guess they don't care about that because they are getting a fat payday from all of this. Sad when a gold medal winning Olympian isn't allowed to even attend the games because of his involvement in human rights.

[Meursault]

I am tempted to say the IOC sold out, but it's not really acurate because there was never a time when money wasn't their top pririty anyway.

[Harpoon]

this is funny...

[Tinysmasher]

IOC has always done a political balancing act.

The Olympics being political are nothing new either as the U.S. and the Soviets both chose to make political statements out of them rather than compete at different times.

[lost in melb.]

I honestly think China is improving - it's just they have a very low level to rise above.