I’m so excited for the games, but I don’t want stories like this to get lost in the shuffle.

Chinese officials have revoked the visa of former U.S. Olympic speed skater Joey Cheek, an action that has worried the White House.

Cheek said he was informed of the action by the Chinese Consulate Wednesday night as he prepared to travel to Beijing for the Games.

“They said, you know, you’re not going to be able to travel to China; your visa’s been revoked,” Cheek said. “And when I asked for a reason, they said, we don’t need to give you a reason.”

Cheek, a 2006 gold medalist, was not going to the Games to compete but to support 70 athletes who are part of a group he co-founded called Team Darfur. The group’s mission is to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

…

Human rights groups have faulted China for doing too little to pressure Sudan, a trading partner, to halt unremitting bloodshed in Darfur. An estimated 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million forced from their homes in a campaign of violence in Darfur that the United States has condemned as genocide.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the U.S. ambassador in Beijing has spoken to Chinese officials to “express our concern and complaint” about the revocation of Cheek’s visa.

“It’s slower than we would like,” she said, “and they’re actually running out of time to be able to rectify it.”

Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said China’s visa system is “above reproach and deserves respect.”

A few days ago, one of my friends Twittered that hearing the world criticize China makes him sad, but feeling that criticism is justified makes him sadder. That’s also how I feel. Oh, China, we are so close to a great Olympics! Don’t come down like a heavy-handed, repressive regime on dissenters, that is only reinforcing the west’s stereotypes!

Come on China! Add oil! You jia!!!

Via CNN — China revokes visa of Darfur activist