From an article by Liz Clarke and Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 6, 2008; 9:58 AM
The Chinese government on Tuesday revoked the visa of 2006 Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek, effectively barring the speedskating champion and social activist from attending the 2008 Beijing Games.
A North Carolina native and Princeton undergraduate, Cheek emerged as an unlikely hero of the 2006 Turin Games after winning speedskating gold and silver medals. But what endeared Cheek to his fellow Olympians and many followers of the Games was his decision to donate his $40,000 bonus from the USOC to Right to Play, an organization founded to use sports as a platform to help needy children in Sudan.
Cheek challenged fellow Olympians to do the same, and more than $1 million was raised. The U.S. delegation honored him by selecting him to carry the U.S. flag during the closing ceremonies in Turin.
He was also honored by the USOC as its Sportsman of the Year, and he was among the Winter Olympians invited to the White House in May 2006, hailed during the visit by President Bush as "a wonderful example for us all."
Following his retirement from competitive speedskating, Cheek co-founded Team Darfur, an organization designed to draw attention to the plight of children in the troubled region. In speeches, appearances and commentary to promote the organization, Cheek was careful not to advocate a boycott of the 2008 Games or the violation of any IOC rules.
Cheek planned to attend the Games to support members of Team Darfur and attend several events to which he had been invited. He said he had been asked to be a member of a panel discussion on sports conflict resolution by the Olympic Alumni Association.
Read more…
Outspoken '06 Medalist Cheek Has Visa Revoked
Washington Post - 26 minutes ago
By Liz Clarke and Amy Shipley BEIJING, Aug. 6 -- The Chinese government on Tuesday revoked the visa of 2006 Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek, effectively barring the speedskating champion and social activist from attending the 2008 Beijing Games.
China Defends Right to Deny Activists' Visas New York Times
China bars speedskater who formed Darfur group Minneapolis Star Tribune
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1 comments:
Joey Cheek has become quite the ambassador for civil liberties. You should check out the video he made for a project I’m working on I Vote You Vote. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgrMOQ1D2cE Make sure to visit www.ivoteyouvote.com to register yourself and your friends to vote!
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