Joey Cheek issues statement on Lopez Lomong
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Team Darfur co-founder Joey Cheek hasn’t been able to persuade China to reverse its decision to revoke his previously issued travel visa. On Friday Cheek issued a statement on the role of Lopez Lomong, who was elected flag-bearer for the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing. Here’s what Cheek has to say:
To see Lopez Lomong carry the flag into the opening ceremonies makes me proud to be an Olympian, and that the American team captains selected him reflects so much of what I love about the Olympic Spirit and Olympians. The Olympic Spirit is about coming together to set new records and achieve the impossible, about resolving our conflicts and celebrating our common humanity, and Lopez embodies that spirit. All of us at Team Darfur offer him our hearty congratulations. Lopez, of course, is the one who made it. There are hundreds of thousands of children in Sudan now whose lives have been torn apart by violence and who continue to be terrorized by militias. They are urgently in need of the aid of the international community, and those countries that have the ability to help bring an end the conflict -- including China, which has significant financial ties to the Sudanese government -- must do so. No one should have to go through what Lopez went through. Lomong is one of the 72 athletes competing in Beijing, and over 410 past and current Olympians, who have joined Team Darfur to advocate for peace in the region.
-- Greg Johnson