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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/5/2008 10:43:30 PM | "Cheek is the founder of team Dafur, which is a group of 70 athletes. This groups goal is to raise awareness of the human-rights violations taking part in the Dafur region of Sudan. China's military, economic and diplomatic ties to Sudan have been well-publicized in the lead-up to the Games."
This is just another additon to the way China is flexing it's mucsles and tell the world that they don't care what the rest of the world thinks about what they do.
There has been numerous reports about the Chinese governments blatant ignorance of human rights and they have taken over people's homes only to tear them down and build hotels for the people who will come to the Olympics.
If you were to go, would you be comfortable staying at a hotel if you found out they had just torn down a building that had been in a family's possesion for some say three hounderd years only to make rooms for visitors for the Olympics?
And....what do you think about the Olympics being held in a country such as China?
Personally I think all the athletes should take a stand and not go there at all. I think that by going there they send the message that their participation and possibly getting a medal is more important than to show disdain for a country that so blatantly ignore human rights.
What do you think? | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/5/2008 11:29:51 PM | I have no idea why the IOC gave the Olympics to China. My guess the same reason Utah got the games (bribery in case you did'nt remember).
Barring athletes from entering the country is a disgrace. I think the IOC should make a rule; for every athlete refused entrance into the country, the host will have one of their top athletes removed from compitition, chosen by the country that had it's athlete barred from entering the country.
I really don't thnk it is fair to ask athletes to boycott the games. Most athletes have spent the majority of their lives training for the Olympics, when the next games come in 2012 most athletes will be too old to compete. They did not choose where the games occur, all they have done is train for their dream of representing their country. To take away their dream because of the IOC's decision, just is'nt fair.
Although China has a very poor record on many social issues, it appears the Olympics caused China to make some improvements. Maybe that's why the IOC chose them. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/5/2008 11:31:06 PM | the olympics in China - is a total farce !!!
their human rights violations, Tibet, pollution, treatment of athletes, propaganda, restrictions on visitors, the taking of water away from Chinese farmers, traffic...
disgusting all~
but who decides, unlike other world leaders who refuse to attend, oh yes, Bush will be there for opening ceremonies
as an American, I am once again, appalled by this man, he just doesn't have a damn clue...
"Cheek has joined activists, including actress Mia Farrow, director Steven Spielberg and eight Nobel Peace Prize winners, in urging China to use its influence in Sudan to stop atrocities in Darfur. Sudan supplies China with oil, and China sells Sudan weapons that reportedly are being used against Darfur, where an estimated 200,000 have died and 2.5 million have become refugees since 2003."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/08/china-revokes-v.html | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 5:47:17 AM | Does anyone have the documents to read that cite the reasons specifically for this exclusion.Is it possible that there is more to the story?
Oh yeah,we've had boycotted Games in recent history.Didn't work then either. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 6:10:49 AM | The Olympics were created to be specifically non political,....to be a contest where countries could come together and leave their political turmoil outside the door,...
<div class="quote">The Sacred Truce
http://www.nostos.com/olympics/#The%20Importance%20of%20the%20Olympic%20Games
The sacred truce was instituted during the month of the Olympiad. Messengers known as "spondorophoroi" carried the word of the truce and announced the date of the games all over the Greek world. The truce called for a cessation of all hostilities for a period of one month (later three months) to allow for the safe travel of athletes to and from Olympia. Armies and armed individuals were barred from entering the sanctuary. In addition, no death penalties could be carried out during the period of the truce.
It seems every year these events occur they become more political going back to the Munich incident,...enough already yes the world is in turmoil with countries at odds with one another,....and many rightfully so but if you want to participate in these games then do so but leave all that outside the door,....
By not doing so I think you take something away from all the participants,....
So either we leave politics out,....or don't participate,...the participation is after all voluntary,....
That is my opinion,....and I don't apologize for it,...it was also the opinion of the creators,...
The Olympics shouldn't be viewed as an opportunity to air grievances, but a time, a very short time all grievances can be set aside,.... | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 7:03:33 AM | | If the US hadn't been doing business with China all these years, then I would agree with a boycott of the Olympics there, and, the other provision would be, if the US hadn't also been doing its own evil deeds crushing people at home and abroad, and had a moral leg to stand on. But if those conditions were false, then, yeah, a boycott would be a good political statement on behalf of human rights. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 8:09:05 AM | Olympic Boycotts do NOTHING but hurt the athletes.
Keep politics OUT of the Olympics. 
If nothing else we can spend time with the Chinese people and express our opinions...might change a mind or two, might not. That's THEIR country, so they can do what they want within it's bounds. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 9:06:12 AM | I know a lot of people say to keep politics out of sports and I agree. However, I don't think that that ignorance of human rights and objections to it qualify as politics.
Neither do I think it hurts the athletes to not participate. How does it "hurt" them?
Not participating in a sports event does not hurt anyone. It deprives them of an opportunity to possibly get a medal that's all. Participating in the games is not something they have to do, and therefore it's not hurting them to abstain.
Anyone who goes to China to either watch the games or participate is helping the government. The will receive enormous revenues from it and I don't think it will be used to benefit their own people at all.
People are evicted from their houses becaue they need to put up hotels to accomodate all the foreigners. Now, that qualify as hurt. Not participating does not qualify as being hurt.
So sorry, to say it hurts athletes to not participate is an argument I don't buy. By participating in any way is endorsing the blatant disregard China shows to human rights. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 10:50:34 AM | It looks like the Chinese themselves have decided not to keep politics out of the games by refusing an athlete permission to enter the country. So I guess it's going to be political open season on them now. 
By the way the previous protests don't count as the torch bearing has always been political ever since Hitler introduced it. | |
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edisto
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Joined: 5/14/2008
Msg: 10 | |
| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 11:26:44 AM | keep politics out of the Olympics is unrealistic
now we have athletes wearing masks because of the severity of the pollution, but having to apologize because it may offend China, the degree of this nation's pollution makes you wonder WTF was the IOC thinking when it chose Beijing for this event
http://sports.aol.com/olympics/story/_a/bbdp/cyclists-apologize-for-wearing-masks/120467?icid=100214839x1206917032x1200374583
the only good thing I can say for China and the olympics - they're banning dog meat from being sold during this time~ | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 11:43:14 AM | (Here's more information on your topic, Nordic.)
http://www.sportsline.com/olympics/story/10920407
Seeking change in Darfur, ex-speedskater Cheek says China revoked his visa
Aug. 6, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports
Former Olympic speedskater Joey Cheek learned his visa was revoked by Chinese authorities Wednesday, hours before he was set to travel to Beijing to urge the Chinese government 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 the 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.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in fighting in the western Sudanese region since ethnic African tribesmen took up arms in 2003.
The Olympic truce dates to the ancient games in Greece, when fighting was halted to ensure athletes had safe passage to travel to and from the competitions. Attempts to revive the truce in modern times have met with only modest success, most notably in the Balkans during the 1992 and 1994 Games.
Cheek said he has been upset by China's treatment of athletes involved in his cause and thinks the Interntional Olympic Committee's rules that prohibit political protest go against the spirit of the games.
"I've been pretty unimpressed with the IOC's efforts in protecting athletes, for giving them any options," Cheek said.
He said he has been greeted warmly on his previous trips to China.
"I don't begrudge them the Olympics, I think they'll do well with them," Cheek said. "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."
He had planned to attend a United Nations Olympic celebration and some charity events but wasn't planning any big Team Darfur demonstrations. Now he's scrambling to figure out how to draw attention to his cause back home in Washington.
"Of course I would have liked to have been there, advocating for a peaceful resolution," he said. "But we'll figure something out."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
International relations - fraught with complexity. ((duh))
While I understand your support of Cheek's position I also clearly understand the Chinese government's decision to revoke his visa. They want the Games to go as smoothly as possible. They have an awful lot of political controversy to contend with. If the Games were not taking place in Beijing we in the west would have no idea of some of these controversies. Because the Games are occurring in Beijing the world has become much more aware of the diverse ethnic minorities in China, and of their many dissatisfactions. (Did you read about the police killed by Muslim minority Chinese citizens in the northwest corner of China the other day?)
I won't get into all the regimes that the U.S. government has supported for our own country's selfish economic interests. Actually more like the selfish interests of corporate America...
Cheek gets to speak his piece in the media coverage, probably more broadly now than he would have had the visa revocation not taken place.
Consider that British singer Amy Winehouse's visa was revoked by the U.S. a few months ago when she was competing for her five Grammies. She was making no protests against U.S. foreign or economic policy, either. Nations have the authority to do these things.
You were never a serious competitive athlete I'd guess, judging from your lack of understanding for what missing the Olympics means to these folks. Cheek was not even expecting to compete in these games.
The ordinary Chinese people are immensely proud to be hosting the Olympics. They've come an awful long way in improving conditions of living for multitudes of their own citizens. Their government is far from perfect. So is ours.
Let the Games begin! | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 11:59:27 AM | If some people never visit China; they know nothing about China.
Please read the history of native Americans then talk about how everyone understands what the human rights are. Every country has something that is good and other thing isn't too good. Don't be narcissistic!
China is a great country like the US even though it's poorer. However, the quality of human life and human right is increasingly improved although the population in China is over three times more than the population in the US. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 12:26:32 PM |
Neither do I think it hurts the athletes to not participate. How does it "hurt" them?
Really you don't see how missing the Olympics would hurt an athlete. Most Olympic athletes have spent the better part of their lives training for the Olympics. They have sacrificed almost every thing for it, including their social lives, their education, and their finances. Most Olympic athletes are not rich, they are amatures barred from competing for money. They have made all these sacrifices for the sole purpose of representing their country at the Olympics, how can you not understand how much a boycott would hurt the athletes, in fact they would be the only ones hurt by a boycott.
So that's the emotional hurt, how about the financial. As I have mentioned most Olympic athletes are amature. So for them to pay for training and living expenses many of them get sponsers. Since the sponsers want their moneys worth, they put the athletes under contract, which means they have no choice, barring injury many athetes are contractually obligated to compete in the Olympics. Then their is the fact that many of the top athletes can gain huge endorsement deals if they place well at the Olympics, lessor athletes can still gain smaller deals, this money can be used by athletes to put their life on track after they retire from sports, if they boycott no endorsements will come.
It is just cruel to expect the athletes to boycott the games. Athletes are not politicians, and should never be treated as such. They are goodwill embasadores for their country.
But what do you think would be the outcome of a boycott: Absolutly nothing you wanted.
If western athletes boycotted the games, all it would do is give more medals to China. And China would play the boycott up as America trying to interfere in their country.
For all the people who ask for the boycott, I would like to ask; How many chinese made products are in your house? I'm guessing you have no idea. If you have anything from Wal-Mart, then you probably have something from China. Your TV might say made in Japan, but the picture tube was made in China. And if you have bought anything in the last ten years that is filled with down, most likely the feathers came from China.
So I ask, what have you done to fight chinese oppression, that gives you the right to demand the athletes boycott the Olympics? | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 12:51:26 PM | The interesting thing is that today is Hiroshima Day, August 6, 2008. 63 years ago today, at 8:15am on August 6, 1945, the US was responsible for the deaths of between 90,000 and 140,000 Japanese civilians. As of today, the death toll ( due to immediate loss of life and the long drawn out radiation impacts) stands at 242,437. About 270,000 A-Bomb affected people still live in Hiroshima today. The second round of terror was unleashed 3 days later, August 9, 2008, with the exploding of a Plutonium bomb called Fat Man, directly above the Urakami Cathedral, annihilating the city of Nagasaki. Does here some people really understand and care about the human rights?
Now it is too later anyone wants to boycott the Olympics in China. Especially, the US President and his family are waiting for watching the Olympic games in China.
The Olympics in China will be successful! | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 1:22:56 PM |
the Chinese governments blatant ignorance of human rights and they have taken over people's homes only to tear them down and build hotels for the people who will come to the Olympics. The Canadian Government does this everyday.. and sometimes just to build or widen highways no less.. Granted the previous occupants of the expropriated land are re-embursed at market value.. Do you have a source that says the Chinese Goverment hasn't re-embursed these people for their homes?
Neither do I think it hurts the athletes to not participate. How does it "hurt" them? I assume you've never participated in or, a child of your's has never participated in an organized sport, as you would know why/how boycotting the Olympics would cause hurt to them.
Although I commend your passion for the rights of the Chinese people.. boycotting the Olympics will do absolutely nothing to help. The extra revenue earned will help the merchants and shop owners as well as provide jobs etc. ~ at least while the games are in progress anyway... | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 2:19:13 PM | Wherefore Art Thou?,
Its fine that we don’t share the same value about financials. You are a good person as you love animals and respect people from a different culture. I love animals and respect people from other culture too. I will change my profile right now…  The US has many the greatest athletes in the world; they will do their bests to bring the country glory, I believe! | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 3:23:36 PM | I did not start this thread to create an avenue for people to argue with each other or me. I asked what people think and I said what I think. We all have the right to think what we think so please abstain from attacking others opinons.
Wherefor Art Thou,
judging from your lack of understanding for what missing the Olympics means to these folks. Don't make assumptions, ask instead. Besides, of course I understand what it means to them I just don't think their "hurt" can be compared to the hurt the Chinese people are going through being thrown out on the streets because their house sits on prime real esate for the government for this particualar event only.
Super Ryan,
that gives you the right to demand the athletes boycott the Olympics? I have not demanded anything. I voiced my opinion. Don't try to change what I said.
Please don't turn this thread into a quarrel and don't bring in what's on a persons profile. This thread is not created to change MY opinon. It was created to hear what others think. Please keep it clean, voice your opinion but this is not the right fourm to try to change others opinion. I'm sure that if someone sees a convincing argument, a change of attitude may ensue, I know I do change mine sometimes if I think someone elses opinion is more accurate, but don't try to make people change their opinions.
My source is an overseas radio reporter who lives in China and reported from there this spring when I was overseas. I haven't just grabbed the info from think air.
No, they do not re-imburse, nor help them relocate. They don't use any argument that the land will serve the community. They simply falsify documents and present them to the families and tells them that they don't own their homes and evict them. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 3:38:23 PM |
My source is an overseas radio reporter who lives in China and reported from there this spring when I was overseas. I haven't just grabbed the info from thin air. Did the reporter mention if those whose property has been taken over were being re-imbursed or just out-right removed and left in the streets? As I mentioned in my previous post; Canada (and I'm sure the States as well) expropriates property when the Govnmt. deems that the land being expropriated will benefit that community's citizens as a whole. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 4:13:25 PM | If an athlete wants to go to China to compete in the Olympics, China has the obligation to allow the athlete in; however, if an activist wants to enter China to stir up trouble, as Cheek seems intent to do, then the Chinese government has the right to decide whether or not to allow this person to enter its sovereign territory. Athletes are guests. If they abuse the hospitality of their host, they don't deserve to be there.
a building that had been in a family's possesion for some say three hounderd years
China is a communist country. All private property was expropriated by the Party decades ago. Under their system of government, private citizens don't have the same rights as we have in the West.
to say it hurts athletes to not participate is an argument I don't buy
Possibly, you don't understand the importance of sport in the lives of athletes, especially Olympic athletes. Olympians train their whole lives for a shot at competing at this unique, historic, highly prestigious international event. It's a huge sacrifice for them to give it up. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/6/2008 4:57:45 PM |
the Chinese people are going through being thrown out on the streets because their house sits on prime real esate for the government for this particualar event only.
Now this kind of thing can never happen in China. The Chinese people who lose their houses due to the Olympics will have new houses as soon as possible.
Some bad people hate China as there are also some bad people hate the US. These bad people just wanted to talk bad about China; they don't really have any proof. Anyway, they are a small group. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/7/2008 4:57:18 AM |
The interesting thing is that today is Hiroshima Day, August 6, 2008. 63 years ago today, at 8:15am on August 6, 1945, the US was responsible for the deaths of between 90,000 and 140,000 Japanese civilians. As of today, the death toll ( due to immediate loss of life and the long drawn out radiation impacts) stands at 242,437. About 270,000 A-Bomb affected people still live in Hiroshima today. The second round of terror was unleashed 3 days later, August 9, 2008, with the exploding of a Plutonium bomb called Fat Man, directly above the Urakami Cathedral, annihilating the city of Nagasaki. Does here some people really understand and care about the human rights?
Yes, there are American people who care deeply about human rights.
However, we need to go back to what happened on December 7, 1941. On that day, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the United States Navy, an agency of the United States Government. In doing that, they attacked the United States Government itself, and specifically, they attacked the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government.
The Japanese activity on December 7, 1941 was a declaration of war against the United States, and as such, the entire nation of Japan became the enemies of the United States Government.
The Japanese continued their "don't give a hoot about Americans" by flying their airplanes into U.S. Naval ships because they were bent on destroying the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Government.
Fat Man and Little Boy abruptly ended Japaneses aggression against the United States Government, and I opine that those bombs were not meant to unleash terror against Japan but were meant to seek out, make contact with, and completely destroy the enemies of the United States Government. Japan had already proved (at that time) to be the enemy of the United States Government, and Japan was defeated by the United States Government when the Government used Fat Man and Little Boy against them. | |
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/7/2008 6:28:17 AM | Many countries now have nuclear weapons, the US remains the only one to actually use them in a war. We didn't want to waste hundreds of thousands of OUR young men on trying to take the island of Japan when we could just drop a couple of nukes and resolve the situation...to OUR & the Chinese's benefit.
Communism, or more correctly, Socialism, is something that some americans (like Hillary Clinton) are looking into (well, at least the dumb liberal side). Yet they don't realize that with those forms of government, personal property is owned only by the Benevolence of The Government. If the government's needs outweigh your own, you loose.
Great example of this would be NAS Pensacola. After decades of Naval Flight Officer training, during the 1990's the Navy began receiveing hundreds of calls complaining about the noise of trainer jets flying over land that Originally was protected by Escambia County from purchase, but had been sold and Residential Neighborhoods built there. To most people, living on the backside of a NAVAL AIR BASE IN A FLIGHT PATH THAT HAD BEEN THERE FOR 70 YEARS, it should have been obvious that there would be a lot of Flight Operations going on...but they bought anyway...then started complaining about the noise. Ok, now if that had have been China, they would have either told the people to just shut the bleep up or bulldozed the homes of the offenders. In America, they Shut Down Flight Training completely....now the base that was originally known as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation" now has absolutely NOTHING to do with training officers for anything as they not only removed Naval Flight Training, but the Naval Officer's Training School (see "Officer & A Gentleman" movie) which had been there for over 100 Years!
All in all the Chinese system of government, while rather draconic by today's standards, is a whole lot NICER than it was just a few hundred years ago. It's also a heck of a lot more efficient in dealing with certain problems. Just because they actualy use Might Makes Right and keep the peasants down doesn't mean they're wrong...Nietzche would have been Proud.
Now as to boycotting the Olympics HURTING the athletes...if you had payed attention to what happened back in the 80's when we boycotted the Moscow Olympics, it basically DESTROYED a lot of young people's careers, because by the time the Olympics rolled around again, many of those atheletes were injured/too old to continue to compete...training for the olympics is a time & body intensive HARD life, and if you miss the window for being at the PEAK of your career, by the time 4 more years rolls by, you've shot your wad...you're DONE.
You want to change China's politics?? Move a business there. Look at how Coke, McDonald's, Starbucks, and others have put US business in place and are giving the Chinese people a really good look at how wonderful Capitalism is. Those businesses are operating with American Rules and slightly higher than Chinese Pay Scales...which gives those workers an upgrade compared to how they would normally live...THAT is how you initiate change. You show people a good life, and they start modifying things & attitudes around themselves. In another 50 years, Communism will have left the world stage as a government form for any but the smallest countries, which are the only places it can truly work the way it's supposed to because of relative physics. But by God, Canada & the UK are sure trying to make Socialism work!! They're doomed to utter failure too, but it's the plan they're working with at present.
China is doing the right thing by selling weapons...because if they weren't, WE in the USA would be selling them M-16's at inflated prices...bet on it. We've got more arms merchants who deal under the wire than you can shake a stick at. But to be honest, the AK is a MUCH better weapon for rough conditions than the M-16...for the M-16 jams if you fart at it wrong...it only takes a few grains of sand/dirt to cause it NOT to be able to fire...it's more accurate, but you have to keep it spotless for it to work and it's underpowered, it's designed to Wound rather than Kill. So for most people, they prefer the AK's because they'll go anywhere/do anything and kill more because of the heavier firepower. Ask our troops in Iraq/Afghanistan why they're requesting M-14's to replace their M-16's...they KNOW
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| China revokes visa of gold medalist, Darfur activist Cheek
Posted: 8/7/2008 9:20:09 AM |
You show people a good life, and they start modifying things & attitudes around themselves.
Agreed!
It doesn't matter, whether developing capitalism or communism. The matter is improving the quality of human life. Last three-decade, China has been changed greatly, and the quality of human life and human rights has been improved well.
I enjoy everyone in the world having a good and peaceful life and hope everyone does like me. | |
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