China revokes gold medalist Joey Cheek's visa: was to campaign for peace in Darfur

[Bluebear]

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."

"I didn't see it coming," Cheek said. "I figured once they gave me a visa, I wouldn't imagine they wouldn't allow me to come in later. That was a big shock. I wasn't expecting to get a call the evening before I was leaving for Beijing."

One of Cheek's key initiatives was urging the international community to persuade Sudan to observe the ancient tradition of the Olympic truce during the Beijing Games.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j0FBqMrj0yT6N2XfzAcupFnn7XagD92CIQPG0

[davidinalameda]

1. how many people were saying that we should keep politics out of the Olympics

when Bush announced he wouldn't boycott the opening ceremonies?

I'm going to find email addresses for every last American company sponsoring the games and tell them that they've lost a customer!

these games would have made Hitler proud

[SoCalDem]

2. If he was going there to protest, and not to compete, I can see why they did it..

China is NOT a democracy or a republic or anything even close.. they are a police state, with hard-fast rules, and they can and will avoid protests if possible,..

sorry, Joey...should have told them you just wanted to go watch :)

We would deny visa to a bunch of Communists who told us they planned to come here to protest democracy (at our olympics) :)

[Bluebear]

3. He wasn't going to protest, he was trying to get the international community to hear him re: Darfur

Also. China granted him a visa and just pulled it while his plane's engines were revving up. This is what Bush is going to honor so as not to "disrespect" the CHinese government.

[SoCalDem]

4. Piggybacking on the press attention IS akin to "protesting"

and although, I agree with Cheek, I can see why China did what it did..

There's a time and a place, and apparently China did not want to provide the platform for their organization to make their point.. It may be mean, but they have the right to do it, and they did..

China is fooling itself, by preventing admission..that draws as much, if not more attention..but they did it.. They are trying to have it both ways..and it will eventually have to open up,but for now they will do it their way..