MCLEAN, Va. (AP) - The Chinese government, concerned about the possibility of demonstrations during the Beijing Olympics, created a list of nine U.S. athletes and one assistant coach it thought might cause problems, USA Today reported Thursday.
The newspaper obtained an internal U.S. Olympic Committee e-mail in which a Chinese official expressed concern that members of the U.S. team might stage some sort of demonstration. The list was given to the USOC during a meeting July 8 with Shu Xiao, minister counselor for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, the e-mail said.
Shu was concerned that some of the athletes have been affiliated with Team Darfur, an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about the human rights crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, according to the email.
The athletes included softball players Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Natasha Watley, Amanda Freed, and softball assistant coach Karen Johns; soccer player Abby Wambach; cyclist Jonathan Page; paralympic basketball player Jen Howitt; paralympic wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet; and golfer Laura Goodwin.
Wambach was injured and did not compete in the Olympics. Goodwin did not compete because golf is not an Olympic sport.
Sun Weide, who was one of the spokesmen for the Beijing Organizing Committee, told The Associated Press that he had resigned his position and declined to comment. Much of the committee has been dissolved more than two months after the Games.
USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel told The Associated Press that the federation did not pass on the concerns to the athletes because it didn't want to burden them with what it felt was a non-issue.
"We did make clear to the Embassy that our athletes would have the same right to free speech and free expression, consistent with what is set forth in the Olympic Charter, that they have enjoyed at previous Games," Seibel said. "We made certain those rights would in no way be infringed upon or compromised."
International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said the IOC was not aware of the list.
"Any questions on the matter should be addressed to the Chinese authorities," she said. |