Open Door Policy Not in Effect for Princeton Medalist
Joey Cheek, 2006 Winter Olympic speedskating gold medalist and Princeton ‘11, was ready to troop off to Beijing to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur when he got a call from China. China had bad news: Cheek would not be joining his Olympic buddies in Beijing because his visa had been revoked.
When Cheek asked why he was being denied entrance, Chinese officials told him they were “not required to give a reason.” Cheek, president and founder of Team Darfur, a group of over 70 Olympic athletes dedicated to raising awareness about the genocide, quickly realized China’s decision to revoke his visa had something to do with his political affiliations. A little background knowledge: China has military, economic and diplomatic ties to Sudan.
Still, Cheek was stunned by the decision. In an AP interview, he said:
I didn’t see it coming. 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.
Really? China doesn’t want to let you come over and protest her policies while not competing in the Olympics? That doesn’t sound like the China I know.
I should mention that Joey Cheek is the real deal: after winning the gold at the Torino Games Cheek donated his $25,000 Olympic bonus to Darfur and asked his fellow athletes to do the same. In Beijing, he planned to petition Sudan to respect the tradition of Olympic truce.
Wish you could have made it, Joey.
Cheek’s reaction to the revoking of his visa after the jump.
In a prepared statement, 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 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.
In an interview with the AP, Jim Scherr, CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said that Cheek’s banning is unfortunate but “it’s between this government and Joey as a private citizen.”
Way to get the kid’s back, Scherr. Remind me never to count on you in a barfight/international incident.
Photo of Cheek is courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
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August 7th, 2008 at 2:08 am
This man may be the only noble Princeton graduate since General Petraeus.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Graduate?
August 7th, 2008 at 10:37 am
that blows. this is looking more and more like a throwback to the ‘36 olympics.
August 7th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I’m pretty sure IvyGate’s already banned in China. So fuck you, Chinese Orwellian Olympics. Boycott!
August 7th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Cheek’s legit. This is ridiculous.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Joey is a stand up guy, and a great guy to have a precept with. Someone who is smart, American, AND cares about stopping genocide? Why wouldn’t China want him around?
August 7th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
oh, and did i mention what he studies at princeton? Economics and Chinese. No wonder they want to shut him out.
August 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
“studies”? frosh (even if, like Joey, closer in age to 30 than 20) don’t have majors and just because he took 100-level classes doesn’t mean he’ll become an expert in those subjects.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
He seems like a great guy. Just wondering– he is 29. How is it he’s a rising sophomore at Princeton? I know it’s their strict policy not to accept transfers. But nontraditional students are all right?
August 7th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
[...] part of Team Darfur, a coalition of Olympic athletes trying to raise awareness for the travesties going on around the [...]
August 11th, 2008 at 1:21 am
@Columbia09: Actually if you take the West College’s answer at face value, we don’t take transfers b/c our attrition rate isn’t high enough and b/c we’re trying to expand the size of each class. Since Cheek never enrolled at any college, he still applied as a freshman, right?
August 12th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Joey Cheek has become quite the ambassador for civil liberties. You should check out the video he made for a project I’m working on I Vote You Vote. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgrMOQ1D2cE Make sure to visit http://www.ivoteyouvote.com to register yourself and your friends to vote!