Team Darfur's Joey Cheek has Visa Revoked by Chinese Governmet

2006 Olympic gold medal speed skater Joey Cheek, had his visa revoked by the Chinese government on Tuesday - approximately 24 hours before he was scheduled to leave for the Beijing Games. Though a reason was not given, it is widely believed that it was a direct result of Cheek’s work with Team Darfur - a non-profit international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Cheek is the president of Team Darfur and co-founded the organization with UCLA water polo player Brad Greiner. Greiner’s visa was also revoked last month by the Chinese government along with 2004 Olympic Synchronized Swimmer Kendra Zanotto who is a Team Darfur supporter (and who appears in Sync or Swim). Cheek was sheduled to be in Beijing for two weeks to support the 70 Olympic athlestes from around the world who have signed on to support Team Darfur

Team Darfur’s Joey Cheek, right, leads a rally at the Chinese Embassy in Washington in December with actress Mia Farrow and radio host Joe Madison. (By Alex Wong — Getty Images)