The Olympic Games began today with an incredible lights show in Beijing and a parade of thousands of athletes from around the world. But one former Olympian, and Princetonian, has been denied access into the country. Joey Cheek '11, who won the gold and silver medals for speedskating in the 2006 Winter Olympics, was blocked from entering China just 24 hours before he was about to leave this week. He also happens to be the co-founder of Team Darfur, which is a coalition of athletes around the world who are campaigning for the end of genocide in Darfur. Joey seems to be a special case when it comes to promoting what you believe in. After winning his gold and silver medals two years ago, he donated his $40,000 in prize money to a nonprofit committed to ending the Darfur genocide, and then went on to raise a million for the cause. His latest campaign has been to push China to sign an Olympic Truce that would last for the 55 days of the Olympics and allow humanitarian workers more access in Darfur because of greater safety. This type of truce dates back to the Greek Games. China has rejected the idea.
To read more about this in the Boston Globe see an article at http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/olympics/articles/2008/08/06/the_other_cheek/
To see a video clip of Joey speedskating, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nh7C4vtza4
