Because 9 Team Darfur athletes were listed as such by the Chinese government in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. Yesterday, USA Today broke the story that:

China’s government was so concerned about the possibility of athlete demonstrations in the Beijing Olympics that it created a list of nine U.S. athletes and one assistant coach it thought might cause trouble at the Games, according to an internal U.S. Olympic Committee e-mail obtained by USA TODAY…

The list was given to USOC officials in a July 8 meeting by Shu Xiao, minister counselor for cultural affairs at the Chinese embassy in Washington, according to the e-mail.

You can read the whole e-mail here, but apparently:

“The subject matter had to do with information the Chinese have received regarding the intention of certain members of the U.S. Olympic team to stage some sort of demonstration at the Games, perhaps displaying banners or wearing apparel or wrist bands bearing political slogans,” the e-mail stated. It added that Shu said “many of them” were “apparently associated with Team Darfur,” an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

It’s scary to know you’re on a target list, but instead of being scared, Team Darfur athletes were flattered:

“This may be the biggest compliment of my life,” Wambach, a member of Team Darfur, said in a phone interview when informed of the list. “If they’re worried about us, maybe we do have more strength as athletes and as people to speak out. This just gives me more empowerment.”

“It doesn’t surprise me but it makes me laugh,” said Mendoza, who also is president-elect of the Women’s Sports Foundation. “We’re not burning our shirts and ranting and raving. We’re just trying to help thousands of people from dying.”

Cheri Blauwett, a Paralympic gold medalist who was also on the list, told me:

“As Olympic and Paralympic athletes, we understand that we have a voice, and as members of Team Darfur, we have chosen to utilize this voice to support a global movement to bring about peace in Sudan. Through bringing us together in action, we can provide support for negotiations and multilateral government intervention that promote the end of fighting in the Darfur region and surrounding conflict zones. Our support of peace should not be subject to censorship, but rather, be applauded as an example of athletes acting to promote peace and international cooperation.”

Unfortunately, American athletes weren’t the only ones targeted. Athletes from 5 other countries reported to Team Darfur that Chinese government officials approached their Olympic committees asking them to “encourage” the athletes to leave Team Darfur before attending the Games. The USOC was one of the only Olympic Committees, however, to so forcefully stand up for their athletes.

In addition, Team Darfur’s President - Joey Cheek - and two other Team Darfur members had their visas revoked right before they were supposed to attend the Games in non-competing capacities. The world-wide pattern of the Chinese Government targeting athletes who had no plans to break IOC rules or openly protest, simply because the Government was so scared their connection to the Sudanese government would come out, should encourage us all to ask: what was the Chinese government so afraid of? Some world-class athletes talking about foreign policy? Or, that their support for ongoing genocide would be revealed?

Photo: Joey Cheek in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Yesterday hundreds of 2008 Olympians visited Washington, DC to meet with President Bush at the White House.  Two Team Darfur athletes - Cheri Blauwett and Mike Altman - stuck around to meet with some of the people making real change for the people of Darfur.

Cheri, a 3 time Paralympian and gold, silver and bronze medal holder in wheelchair racing, and Mike, a 2 time Olympic rower, first visited USAID’s Office of Sudan Programs and Africa Bureau for a briefing on American aid to Sudan.

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Nearly 70 members of Team Darfur competed in the recently completed 2008 Olympic Games. Team Darfur members won 17 medals and competed honorably on the field. While International Olympic Committee rules prevented them from making open statements about their support for the people of Darfur, Team Darfur athletes in Beijing and at home did what they could to ensure Darfur was a part of the 2008 Olympic dream.

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Just one day after Save Darfur named Lopez Lomong its August Darfur Hero and Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek’s visa was revoked by China, U.S. Olympic team captains selected Lopez as the flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies. Lomong - who spent 10 years in a refugee camp in Kenya after fleeing South Sudan - will compete in the 1500 meter run and gained U.S. citizenship just 13 months ago.

In a statement published in an LA Times column by Helene Elliott, Lomong said:

“The American flag means everything in my life — everything that describes me, coming from another country and going through all of the stages that I have to become a U.S. citizen. This is another amazing step for me in celebrating being an American. Seeing my fellow Americans coming behind me [in the opening ceremony] and supporting me will be a great honor — the highest honor. It’s just a happy day. I don’t even have the words to describe how happy I am.”

More coverage can be found on Bloomberg.com and the front page of the LA Times.

Joey Cheek, 2006 Olympic gold medalist and co-founder of Team Darfur, has been denied entry to China for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Joey, who has also contributed to this blog, had been granted an entry visa to attend the games and support Team Darfur, an international coalition of Olympic athletes helping to raise awareness about the Darfur genocide. Last night, however, the Chinese government revoked the visa.

According to the Washington Post (registration required):

A Chinese official informed Cheek that it was not necessary to give a reason for revoking his visa less than 24 hours before he was scheduled to fly from Washington to Beijing.

In a statement published on the LA Times web site, 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.