U.S. Olympic medalist barred from Olympics

U.S. Olympic speedskater Joey Cheek, who is also the co-founder and president of Team Darfur - a group fighting for the end to ethnic-based violence in Sudan - will not be allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics 2008 since Chinese authorities have revoked his visa.

Cheek was a gold medalist in the winter Olympics in 2006. Banning the Darfur activist from the Olympics has also put China under fire from the U.S government, and has further worsened China's image as a human rights violator ahead of the Olympics.

Team Darfur consists of a athletes who are committed to coercing China into providing a platform for ending the killings in Sudan without disrupting the Beijing Olympics.

Incidentally, China abruptly pulled Cheek's visa just hours before he left for Beijing. He is the winner of the speed-skating competition in the winter Olympics in 2006. He told the media that he didn't expect this to happen and that it comes as a shock to him.

The news comes just ahead of a speech by President George Bush in Thailand, where he is expected to denounce China's human rights record. A copy to released to the media ahead of the event said, Pres. Bush is expected to place the U.S on record that it is firmly against China's unfair treatment of political dissidents, religious leaders , and human rights activists.

It is also in the wake of protests by Tibetan freedom fighters and followers of the Dalai Lama in March. Chinese officials had blamed the Dalai Lama for disrupting the Olympics by prodding the protests, but Tibetan leaders have denied those allegations.