WASHINGTON - CHINESE government officials created a list of 10 members of the US delegation they feared might stage a demonstration at the Beijing Olympics, USA Today reported on Thursday.
The newspaper cited a list obtained from a US Olympic Committee (USOC) e-mail and named five members of the US softball team, two US paralympians, cyclist Jonathan Page, female footballer Abby Wambach and golfer Laura Goodwin.
Golf was not even among the Olympic sports offerings, but there was concern that many of the athletes named were associated with Team Darfur, a collection of athletes unhappy with China's supportive role of Sudan in regional violence.
The July 8 memo also listed US softball players Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Natashy Watley and Amanda Freed plus US assistant coach Karen Johns as well as paralympian racer Cheryl Blauwet and basketball player Jen Howitt.
'This may be the biggest compliment of my life,' Wambach told USA Today.
'If they are worried about us, maybe we do have more strength as athletes and as people to speak out. This just gives me more empowerment.' Wambach, a member of Team Darfur, suffered a broken leg in a tuneup match and missed the Olympics. Freed was not on the final US Olympic softball roster.
There were no athlete protests on medal podiums at the Beijing Olympics but the list showed how the Chinese government was fearful of such actions.
The list was presented to the USOC by Mr Shu Xiao, minister counselor for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy here in the US capital, according to the e-mail.
USOC officials were told in the e-mail that China had received information 'regarding the intention of certain members of the US Olympic team to stage some sort of demonstration at the Games, perhaps displaying banners or wearing apparel or wrist bands bearing political slogans,' the newspaper reported.
'Shu appeared quite concerned' about US Olympians staging 'some sort of demonstration at the Games,' the e-mail said.
USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel told the newspaper that US Olympic officials rejected the idea of notifying those on the list that it existed.
'We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted,' Mr Seibel told USA Today. 'As such we rejected the request to address this with our athletes. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this.'
Mr Seibel added they made certain Chinese officials knew the US delegation would not in any way compromise the rights of athletes to do as they wished when it came to making any sort of protest. -- AFP
China had troublemakers list
WASHINGTON - CHINESE government officials created a list of 10 members of the US delegation they feared might stage a demonstration at the Beijing Olympics, USA Today reported on Thursday.
The newspaper cited a list obtained from a US Olympic Committee (USOC) e-mail and named five members of the US softball team, two US paralympians, cyclist Jonathan Page, female footballer Abby Wambach and golfer Laura Goodwin.
Golf was not even among the Olympic sports offerings, but there was concern that many of the athletes named were associated with Team Darfur, a collection of athletes unhappy with China's supportive role of Sudan in regional violence.
The July 8 memo also listed US softball players Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Natashy Watley and Amanda Freed plus US assistant coach Karen Johns as well as paralympian racer Cheryl Blauwet and basketball player Jen Howitt.
'This may be the biggest compliment of my life,' Wambach told USA Today.
'If they are worried about us, maybe we do have more strength as athletes and as people to speak out. This just gives me more empowerment.' Wambach, a member of Team Darfur, suffered a broken leg in a tuneup match and missed the Olympics. Freed was not on the final US Olympic softball roster.
There were no athlete protests on medal podiums at the Beijing Olympics but the list showed how the Chinese government was fearful of such actions.
The list was presented to the USOC by Mr Shu Xiao, minister counselor for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy here in the US capital, according to the e-mail.
USOC officials were told in the e-mail that China had received information 'regarding the intention of certain members of the US Olympic team to stage some sort of demonstration at the Games, perhaps displaying banners or wearing apparel or wrist bands bearing political slogans,' the newspaper reported.
'Shu appeared quite concerned' about US Olympians staging 'some sort of demonstration at the Games,' the e-mail said.
USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel told the newspaper that US Olympic officials rejected the idea of notifying those on the list that it existed.
'We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted,' Mr Seibel told USA Today. 'As such we rejected the request to address this with our athletes. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this.'
Mr Seibel added they made certain Chinese officials knew the US delegation would not in any way compromise the rights of athletes to do as they wished when it came to making any sort of protest. -- AFP
