Olympics: 'i'm Here As an Athlete,' Says Lomong

Lopez Lomong, the Sudanese-born 1,500m runner who will lead the USA team at the Olympic opening ceremony today, said this morning that he would carry his adopted country's flag as an athlete rather than a political activist.

Lomong's appointment as flag-bearer for the US team is politically charged. China has been widely criticized for its support for the Sudanese regime, which stands accused of sponsoring genocide in Darfur. Lomong has been outspoken in the past about China's role in the region and is a member of the Team Darfur movement, but he declined to be drawn into any political comment today.

He did however criticize the Chinese government's decision to revoke the visa of 2002 speed-skating gold medalist Joey Cheek, who founded Team Darfur and planned to speak out on the issue while in China.

"I'm here as an athlete," Lomong said. "I'm here to represent my country to the fullest, and I'm here to be an ambassador for my country. I'm here to inspire other kids who are out there watching these Olympics, as I was watching the Sydney Olympics.

"Me coming here ... I'm here to compete for my country. The Olympics are supposed to bring people together to peacefully blend and I'm looking forward to that and stepping on the track and wearing my colors and representing my country.

"I'm disappointed ... that Joey Cheek is not here. He's supposed to be here. He's an Olympian. It's supposed to tell people about the situation that happened."

Lomong's journey to the Olympics is one of the more remarkable of the games. Abducted by Sudanese rebels aged six, he escaped and spent a decade in one of Kenya's "lost boys" refugee camps.

In 2000 he saw Michael Johnson competing in the Sydney games on a black and white TV set, and a year later he moved to the US. He was granted citizenship just over a year ago, and is one of three US 1,500m runners born overseas.

Questioned about Lomong's selection, Chinese Olympic official Cui Dalin said that "sports competition and politics are separate". "We hope that these Beijing Olympic Games can enhance friendship between different countries and regions and enhance friendship between athletes," he added.