China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek

[JCMach1]

Source: Yahoo Sports

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...

Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Chi?urn=oly,98718

---

My personal boycott of these games is on... anyone else going to join me?

[tomreedtoon]

1. And so it starts.

This is just breadcrumbs. The big loaf is up ahead. This Olympics will make Munich seem like an upraised middle finger in a baseball game.

[twiceshy]

9. I have always watched, but may take a pass this time...

[saigon68]

13. China is really a 21st century version of Nazi Germany

I wonder when the death camps will be exposed

[951-Riverside]

2. China revokes ex-speedskater Joey Cheek's visa

Source: The Associated Press

Former Olympic speedskater Joey Cheek had his visa revoked by Chinese authorities Wednesday, hours before he was set to travel to Beijing to promote his effort urging China to help make peace in the war-torn Darfur section of Sudan.

Cheek, the president and co-founder of a collection of Olympic athletes known as Team Darfur, was planning to spend about two weeks in China, when he received an unexpected call from authorities.

The 2006 American gold medalist said they told him they were denying him entrance into the country and were "not required to give a reason."



Read more: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/06/ap5293206.html

[othermeans]

3. Let's make a Federal case out of it. We need their money. NT

[angrycarpenter]

4. I am not watching it

nor am I buying anything with an olympic seal on it. I could not care less about these games where authoritarianism will be the only real winner.

[Tempest]

5. My boycott started in 2001

When China was awarded the games.

I knew they wouldn't live up to their end of the deal, and I was right.

[ckramer]

6. Now he has plenty of time to talk about Darfur staying home

Idiot.

[INDIA]

15. Did you just call Cheek an idiot? Why? Because he's trying to stop genocide?

THAT makes him an idiot?

[ckramer]

19. Trying to stop genocide didn't make him an idiot

Not following the hosting country's rule and losing the right to compete in Olympics, that made him the biggest idiot.

Totally naive and stupid.

[INDIA]

23. Uh, he's a speedskater. He didn't lose the right to compete. Who's the "biggest idiot" again?

And what "hosting country's rule" did he break exactly? No really, WHICH ONE?

[NYC Liberal]

24. Only if you think sports are more important than people being massacred.

But hey, different people have different priorities right?

[Critters2]

25. I agree with you about priorities, but

He wasn't going to be competing. He's a winter Olympian--an ice skater.

[LeftyMom]

27. See how much I follow this stuff?

I can't stand to watch the Olympics- all ads and soft focus human interest filler, with an occasional twelve hour old snippet of some obscure sport thrown in to keep you watching.

[ckramer]

30. That I agree

NBC sucks

[ckramer]

31. To an athlete, sport, not politics, should be his highest priority

This really called "Bull**** walks."

LOL

[INDIA]

32. Let me try again. Did you eat the dog in your avatar? n/t

[Psephos]

16. Your post just made my Top Ten Worst Posts of All Time on DU list n/t

[INDIA]

17. ckramer is a perfect example...

of why China scares the hell out of me. Imagine 1.3 billion ckramers. Pissed off, nationalistic, brainwashed, and with not enough women to go around. Not to mention completely ignorant. :scared:

[ckramer]

21. Pissed off, nationalistic, brainwashed

Are you talking about our average J6Ps?

LOL

[INDIA]

22. So...your avatar. Is that a pet or a snack? Just curious. n/t

[LeftyMom]

18. Yep, because genocide is much less important than sports.

He made the right decision, and anybody who doesn't see that must lack some vital lobe in their brain.

[Redbear]

7. Why the IOC allowed these folks to have an olympics is beyond me

No dissent allowed. Political enemies jailed. Tibet. Internet censored.

I wonder how many of these stories American TV will be covering over there?

[LeftyMom]

14. The bullshit excuse was that they'd have to clean up their act with the increased spotlight

Same stupid logic as the MFN debate back in the 90's.

[ckramer]

20. No dissent allowed, political enemies, information censored

Sounds like a typical internals of an American corporation.

LOL

[Kelvin Mace]

8. Oh, I am with you

I gave up watching the Olympics years ago.

[blue52power]

12. Great story

China is out of control and will have a huge PR nightmare during these games.

I am going to watch because I think some Tibetan protesters will do something big.

[Critters2]

26. If they do, I'll see it reported on CNN or Olbermann or someplace. nt

[DinahMoeHum]

10. NEWSFLASH: FORMER "LOST BOY OF SUDAN" TO CARRY U.S. FLAG

in the opening ceremonies:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/news/story?id=3521480

(snip)
Eight years ago, Lopez Lomong didn't even have a country. Now he'll be carrying the flag for his adopted nation, leading the U.S. Olympic team at opening ceremonies Friday night.

Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, won a vote of team captains Wednesday to earn the honor of leading America's contingent into the 90,000-seat Bird's Nest Stadium.

The 1,500-meter track runner will be the flagbearer only 13 months after becoming a U.S. citizen.
(snip)
He was born in Sudan, separated from his parents at the point of a gun at age 6, and with the help of friends, he escaped confinement and made it to a refugee camp in Kenya. In 2001, he was brought to America as part of a program to relocate lost children from war-torn Sudan.
(snip)

...more at the link...

:evilgrin:
Looks like the US athletes themselves just gave the Chinese pooh-bahs a poke in the eye.
:evilgrin:

[Lifetimedem]

11. Like you

I have decided not to watch one minute of them.

[JonQ]

28. I'm kind of glad they did this

Stay with me here: china is planning on using these games to show off how great and glorious their nation is (like all dictatorships they put alot of stock in the rest of the world viewing them as legit). And to a degree they're right, the entire world is looking at china very closely for at least the immediate future.

The more attempts they make to wipe out dissent and silence not only their own citizens but citizens of other nations the more people around the world will see the chinese government for what it really is; a corrupt dictatorship that couldn't care less about human rights.

I hope they stick by this and block even more people from attending. That will only serve to hurt them in international circles.

[Zorra]

29. China sucks. I won't be watching. n/t