Olympic Dream for Darfur

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Olympic Dream for Darfur is an organised campaign, using threats of disruption to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and with the goal of pressuring the People's Republic of China government into exerting more pressure on the Sudanese government. The rationale of the campaign, according to its supporters, is that the Sudanese government is committing alleged mass atrocities in Darfur; that the Chinese government is allegedly in a position of influence over the Sudanese government and the international community; and that the Chinese government should use this alleged position of influence to pressure both the Sudanese government and the international community to stop these alleged human rights violations in Darfur.

Almost all of these claims are disputed by the other parties involved, especially the Chinese government, whose position is that the Darfur problem is very important to China; that China is making real efforts to bring the Sudanese government and the international community together to resolve the issue; that drawing a connection between Darfur and China, and drawing a connection between Darfur and the Olympics, do not help to resolve the issue; and that the actions of the campaign are contrary to the Olympic spirit and a violation of the principle of non-politicisation of the Olympic Games.[1]

The Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign further claims that China is the most influential nation to Sudan, that China has extensive economic interests in Sudan, and that the Chinese government is in an unrivaled position to influence Sudan and hasten the deployment of what it calls a "true and robust" United Nations operation in Darfur.

While it advocates "pressuring" the Chinese government using the Olympics as a leverage, Olympic Dream for Darfur claims that it is not a boycott campaign, and claims that it does not support a boycott of the Olympics.[2]

The campaign's founders include actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow and Sudan expert Eric Reeves, and the campaign director is Jill Savitt. Allied organizations include The Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network, and Enough Campaign.

Contents

[edit] Online Advocacy

A major component of the Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign is online advocacy. Centered around the campaign’s website, it encourages people to: (1) Petition the International Olympic Committee urging them to pressure China to use its influence with the government of Sudan. [1] (2) Email their National Olympic Committees urging them to encourage China to protect the Olympic Spirit [2]. Olympic Dream for Darfur will continue with different targets for email advocacy as the campaign develops.

[edit] International Torch Relay

Olympic Dream for Darfur is organizing an Olympic Torch Relay from Darfur to Beijing, starting in Fall 2007 [3]. The goal of the Relay is to urge China to use its influence with Khartoum and at the UN Security Council to allow a robust security force on the ground in Darfur to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.

The countries the campaign will visit have been chosen because they are all the sites of previous genocides and mass atrocity. The tentative schedule is: Darfur and Kigali, Rwanda - August; Yerevan, Armenia - September; Sarajevo, Bosnia - October; Berlin, Germany - November; Phenom Penh, Cambodia - November; and Hong Kong, PRC - December.

At each stop, there will be a symbolic torch lighting[citation needed]. One high-profile torch carrier – a celebrity, refugee, athlete or influential person regarding Darfur or genocide - will light the torch in a public ceremony. There will be press events and high-level, private advocacy visits in every country visited.

[edit] U.S. Torch Relay

Olympic Dream for Darfur is working with the Save Darfur Coalition and STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition to organize an Olympic Torch Relay in the United States.[3]

The Relay will launch in September 2007 in New York City and end in December in Washington, DC.

[edit] Campaign Appeals

Olympic Dream for Darfur asks that China:[citation needed]

  • Press publicly for Khartoum to keep its multiple commitments to disarm the Janjaweed militias that are responsible for so much civilian destruction; such disarmament was also the key “demand” of UN Security Council Resolution 1556 (July 2004), from which China and Pakistan abstained;
  • Press publicly for Khartoum to adhere to previous ceasefire commitments;
  • Suspend all weapons transfers to Sudan;
  • Suspend debt forgiveness to the Khartoum-dominated economy;
  • Join with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in publicly demanding a cessation of aerial bombardment of civilian targets, and the indiscriminate use of aerial military assets;
  • Join with UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes and numerous aid organizations in publicly demanding unfettered humanitarian access to all regions of Darfur;
  • Publicly announce punitive actions that China is prepared to take in the event that Khartoum refuses to accept an international peace support operation, refuses to disarm the Janjaweed, impedes or harasses humanitarian efforts, or refuses to halt indiscriminate aerial attacks.

[edit] Not a boycott

Olympic Dream for Darfur is not a boycott campaign[dubious – discuss], nor does it support a boycott of the Olympics[citation needed].

The campaign supports the Olympics and believes in the ideal of the Olympic Games as a symbol of peace and international cooperation[citation needed]. The campaign believes that the sports arena is the best forum for countries to “do battle” and does not advocate withdrawal by any nation from this essential and important forum.

The Olympic Dream for Darfur policy is that an Olympic boycott, or the threat of boycott, can only create serious divisions within the ranks of countries and constituencies that, like the campaign, care about Darfur and the ideals of peace represented by the Olympics.[citation needed] A boycott also punishes athletes, their families, and spectators around the world.

[edit] References

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
  1. ^ 中方对斯皮尔伯格放弃奥运顾问声明表示遗憾 (China expresses regret at statement by Spielberg renouncing consulting role for Olympics)
  2. ^ Not a Boycott
  3. ^ U.S. Relay

[edit] External links

  • "Main Page." Olympic Dream for Darfur. 23 June-July 2007. 24 July-Aug. 2007 [www.dreamfordarfur.org]
  • "The Campaign." Olympic Dream for Darfur. 23 June-July 2007. 24 June-July 2007 [4]