Team Darfur Timeline – Milestones & Successes

September, 2006: Clinton Global Initiative, New York

Joey Cheek, US Olympic Gold Medalist, presents idea of a coalition of Olympic athletes at CGI. He calls the organization ‘Where Will We Be’.

June 7, 2007: Congressional Hearing, Washington DC

Joey Cheek and Kenyan Olympian Tegla Loroupe testify on the Olympics and Darfur. [Speaker of the House [1]]

July, 2007: Idea of ‘Team Darfur’ is born

UCLA Water Polo player Brad Greiner conceptualizes idea of an organization called Team Darfur, with a red, black and green sweatband as its main symbol.

July 26, 2007: Chinese Embassy, Washington DC

Joey Cheek delivers 46,000 petition signatures asking the Chinese government to do everything in its power to stop genocide in Darfur to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC. Many international news outlets covered the event. [Voice of America [2]]

August 1, 2007: Washington DC

‘Where Will We Be’ sets up headquarters in Washington, DC

September 9, 2007: Symbolic Torch Relay, UN Headquarters, New York

Olympic bronze medalist Amber Stachowski speaks alongside Darfuri refugees at rally outside UN Headquarters, and leads a silent “relay” to the Chinese Mission to the UN. [Press Release [3]]

Where Will We Be and Team Darfur agree to unite as one organization, ‘Team Darfur’.

October 7, 2007: Symbolic Torch Relay, Philadelphia

Joey Cheek speaks at Philadelphia leg of symbolic torch relay for Darfur. [OnlineJournal [4]]

October 29, 2007: Premier of The Devil Came on Horseback, Capitol Hill, Washington DC

Global Grassroots hosts a special screening in conjunction with the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, with Joey Cheek as special guest. [Global Grassroots [5]]

November 3, 2007: ADI Leadership Forum, Los Angeles

Team Darfur athletes, including Genai Kerr, Silke Nowotzin and Luisa Los Santos, were inspired to get more active in Team Darfur by attending the event and hearing President Bill Clinton speak.

November 18, 2007: Symbolic Torch Relay, Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

Team Darfur athletes John Naber, Maria Cruz Garcia and Genai Kerr speak at symbolic torch relay event. [Save Darfur [6]]

November 29, 2007: Team Darfur reaches 100 athlete members

December 10, 2007: Symbolic Torch Relay Finale, Chinese Embassy, Washington DC

Team Darfur athletes Nikki Stone, Nathaniel Mills, Vince Poscente and Joey Cheek join activists, religious leaders and actresses Mia Farrow and Melissa Fitzgerald in the conclusion of the symbolic Torch Relay. [Christian Post [7]]

February 8, 2008: Team Darfur reaches 200 athlete members

February 12, 2008: China Action Day Press Conference, Capitol Hill, Washington DC

Joey Cheek speaks at a Press Conference on Capitol Hill along with Rev. Gloria White Hammond, MD, Suliman Giddo, and Representatives Capuano and Chabot. [Rep. Chabot [8]]

China Action Day delivery, Chinese Mission to UN, New York

Team Darfur athletes Nikki Dryden and Shannon Shakespeare join Mia Farrow in delivering open letter to Chinese Mission to the UN. [Associated Press [9]]

Open Letter to China from Nobel Laureates, Athletes, Parliamentarians

16 Team Darfur athletes join Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Members of Parliament from many countries and artists and activists in signing an open letter to the Chinese Government. The letter raises awareness of Darfur, but also helps create public pressure on the British Olympic Committee, which was attempting to bar athletes from speaking about political and human rights issues leading up to the Games. [Times of London [10]]

February: Team Darfur athletes make headlines

Olympians Turn Up Heat on Darfur [11], Wall Street Journal, 2/14 by Geoffrey Fowler

Sports and Politics Do Mix, So Speak Up [12], Times of London, 2/14 by Matthey Syed

Why I’m Taking a Stand on China [13], BBC, Interview with Richard Vaughan, 2/14

A Week in the Life of Team Darfur [14], SwimNews.com, 2/16 by Nikki Dryden

Political expression hovers over Beijing preparation [15], USA Today, 2/20 by Janice Lloyd

April 1, 2008: Front Page Story, New York Times

Team Darfur athletes Jessica Mendoza and Emanuel Neto spoke with Katie Thomas of the New York Times about what it means for them to speak out for Darfur. "I've seen what those kids are going through and it's really, really bad," said Mr. Neto. "It doesn't matter at this point what will happen to me. What matters to me the most is that something has to be done." [Issue for Athletes: Protest on Darfur at Olympics [16]]

April 8-13 2008: Team Darfur athletes are televised

ABC World News, 4/08: Team Darfur athletes Genai Kerr, Jessica Mendoza and Joey Cheek are interviewed for ABC World News. [Video [17]]

France 24, 4/12: Team Darfur athletes Doug Lennox and Joey Cheek are interviewed for France 24 news. [Video [18]]

CNN, 4/12: Joey Cheek is interviewed on CNN News Room Saturday

Fox News Sunday, 4/13: Joey Cheek is interviewed by Chris Wallace. [Transcript [19]]

April 9, 2008: Official Torch Relay demonstrations, San Francisco

Team Darfur athletes Michael Ditchfield and Emanuel Neto join Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon, actress Maria Bello and thousands of Darfur activists to create a “sea of green” along the route of the Olympic Torch in San Francisco. [ESPN [20]]

April 11, 2008: Team Darfur reaches 300 athlete members from 54 countries

April 13, 2008: Global Day for Darfur

Team Darfur supports Globe for Darfur coalition’s efforts by providing stories [21] from the Children of Darfur.

Montclair, NJ Global Day for Darfur event

Team Darfur athlete Doug Lennox lead over 1,000 Darfur activists on a walk through Montclair, NJ. [Montclair Times [22]]

April 15, 2008: Team Darfur asks IOC to clarify right to free expression

Lawyers representing Team Darfur write to the International Olympic Committee President seeking confirmation that the IOC will ensure that athletes at the 2008 Olympics will have the international right to freedom of expression. [Letter [23]]

 

May 25, 2008: The Washington Post

The Washington Post publishes an article by Joey Cheek in its Outlook and Opinions section. [Washington Post [24]].

 

June 24, 2008: Joey Cheek testifies before Senate Committee

 

Joey Cheek testifies at a Hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. The hearing was titled “From Nuremburg to Darfur: Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity.” [Testimony [25]]

 

June 27, 2008: Voices of America

 

Team Darfur athlete Rosanna Tomiuk’s piece on the importance of speaking out about Darfur is published in the online magazine www.VoicesOfTomorrow.org [26]. [Voices of Tomorrow [27]]

 

July 1, 2008: Open letter for Olympic truce

 

Team Darfur releases an open letter signed by over 130 elite athletes calling for an Olympic truce for Darfur. [Letter [28]]

 

July 2, 2008: Media coverage for Olympic truce

 

The Olympic Truce release is covered by numerous media outlets, including: The Washington Post [29], Voice of America [30], The New York Times [31], and Taiwan News [32].

 

July 25, 2008: ESPN.com

 

ESPN publishes an article on its website about Joey Cheek and Team Darfur. [ESPN [33]]

 

July 30, 2008: Senate Resolution

 

Senators Feingold (D-WI) and Coleman (R-MN) introduce “A resolution calling on the Governments of the People's Republic of China and the international community to use the upcoming Olympic Games as an opportunity to push for the parties to the conflicts in Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic to cease hostilities and revive efforts toward a peaceful resolution of their national and regional conflicts.”

 

August 1, 2008: Senate Resolution media coverage

 

The Senate Resolution and athletes' call for an Olympic Truce is covered by numerous media outlets, including: USA Today [34] , The Los Angeles Times [35] and The Seattle Post Intelligencer [36].