Gold Medalist Denied Entrance To Olympics, China
 Thursday, August 7th, 2008  by Connie T.

Instead of all of the junk news about Katie Holmes wearing rolled-up jeans, Mary-Kate Olsen getting off the hook for an indictment, Morgan Freeman getting a divorce, and whether or not Jennifer Aniston is set to wed John Mayer, this should be front page news. Joey Cheek has had his visa revoked by Chinese officials, barring him from attending the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Why? Chinese officials said they are "not required to give a reason," but all clues point to the fact that the speed skating champion is the founder of Team Darfur - a group of athletes who raise global awareness about the human rights violations in the Sudan region of Darfur.

Just hours before he was set to board a flight to China, he was informed by the Chinese embassy that he is being denied entrance.

Cheek said,

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 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.

I don't begrudge them the Olympics, I think they'll do well with them. But there are so many of their government's policies that I find repulsive, especially for athletes who have no intention but to help someone else.

I know, I know, I just wrote yesterday that we won't be covering anything else Olympics-related. I'll have to retract that.

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