China Revokes Visa For Olympic Medalist Joey Cheek
Joey Cheek is an Olympic gold medalist and is known for being a Darfur activist. This week he was informed that his visa would be revoked by the Chinese embassy. He was given the news only hours before he was going to be flying out to China.
Officials from China stated that they do not need any specific reason to revoke a visa - but many people have guessed the reasoning behind it. He founded Team Darfur - which is a group of 70 athletes who have made it their goal to raise the awareness around the world of the human-rights violations in Darfur.
China’s military, economic and diplomatic ties to Sudan have been well-publicized in the lead-up to the Games. Said Cheek of his ban in a prepared statement:
“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 a 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.”
Cheek was not going to be participating in the Olympics this year - but rather to support the athletes who are a part of Team Darfur and to promote his cause. After winning gold in the Torino Games, Cheek announced he was donating his $25,000 USOC bonus to Darfur and implored his sponsors to do the same.