2008 Summer Games: One World, One Dream? Hell, Yeah!
Former U.S. flagbearer Joey Cheek is persona non grata in China.
'Twas the night before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, and though we sadly won't be treated to the sight of America's athletes decked out in Project Runway's "Rings of Glory" challenge ensembles (guest judge Apolo Ohno, media whore), we WILL get to see our athletes flip a mighty bird to Chinese officials by spotlighting the crisis in Darfur. Too bad only one of those athletes is out and gay. At least she is a babe.
One day after the Chinese government revoked former gold medalist Joey Cheek's visa for his Darfur activism, U.S. team captains huddled up and elected Sudanese refugee Lopez Lomong to be our flagbearer. Lomong was kidnapped by Sudanese rebels at age 6, escaped to a refugee camp in Kenya, and in 2001 was sent to the United States as part of a program to help Sudan's "Lost Boys." He became a citizen last July, and made the U.S. Track and Field team by finishing third in the 1,500 meters. In a statement, 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 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."
While Ohno was Dancing with the Stars, fellow speedskater Cheek was busy co-founding Team Darfur. Himself the flagbearer in 2006, the sweetie Cheek sounded almost as ecstatic about the selection as Lomong. "I was more thrilled by it than I imagined I would have been. It just seems incredibly relevant...Every time I think I can't be prouder of U.S. Olympians, those guys find a way to outdo themselves."
In other Olympic news of relevance to New Gays and old, Outsports is reporting that there are only only 6 openly gay athletes so far at the Beijing Games, a drop from Summer games past. The one everyone's talking about is hunky little Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, but I was just as happy to see confirmation that soccer's inked-up Hawaiian hottie Natasha Kai (right) is indeed a rainbow warrior, and that a Norwegian couple is administering spankings in handball.
The Games are supposed to be apolitical in the manner that collegiate sports are supposed to be not-for-profit. Which is to say, the Games have always been and always will be political. People are people, and we will continue to care about things, to be the products of our times, to need spoken for or to need to speak. And goverments are governments with their own self-interests, and behemoth corporations will run the show, no matter what the IOC pretends. From the Munich Massacre to John Carlos and Tommie Smith's podium black power salute, the Games always serve as a reflection of our times. Boycott? As Norman Chad wrote last week in A Remote Boycott, "I've boycotted USA Today since, like, 1991 — they still publish a 'newspaper' five days a week." So, bring 'em on!
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3 comments:
Mmmmm. Joey Cheek.
I don't know why the Outsports article chose not to mention Vicky Galidno, the bisexual second baseman on the USA softball team. She is profiled in the same issue of The Advocate that covers Matthew Mitcham. I acknowledge I'm being a little overly sensitive, but does being bi mean she doesn't make the list?
Incidentally, The Advocate also has a photo series of out athletes in that issue. Pretty cool.
man, soccer players take a beating.
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