A pro-Tibet group bought a full-page ad in The New York Times yesterday urging Olympic athletes to use the Beijing Games as a platform to bring attention to the cause.
The ad, sponsored by Students for a Free Tibet, appeared in the front section of Tuesday’s newspaper.
In large type, it reads, “At every Olympics, there is one athlete who ends up inspiring the world with their courage and character. We’re hoping that athlete is reading this.”
The ad references the website AthleteWanted.org, which includes suggested actions for athletes such as raising the Tibetan flag during a victory lap or shaving their heads to show solidarity with Tibetan monks and nuns.
“Olympic athletes have the platform and the power to inspire the world,” Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of Students for a Free Tibet, said in a news release. “At the Beijing Games, we believe athletes have the opportunity to inspire not only with their athletic performances, but also by standing up for what is right by supporting human rights and freedom for Tibet.”
