Speedskater Cheek Donating USOC Gold-Medal Bonus To Charity

Cheek Donating Medal Bonus To Charity

U.S. speedskater Joey Cheek, after winning the 500-meter Gold Medal yesterday, announced that he would give his $25,000 bonus from the USOC to Right To Play, an organization led by former speedskating Gold Medalist Johann Olav Koss that “provides recreation programs to underprivileged children in 20 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East,” according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. Cheek, “citing the U.S. government’s finding of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan,” also said that he would ask his sponsors — Nike and Oakley –- and “‘all of the Olympic sponsors that give hundreds of millions of dollars’ to match his donation.” Cheek said that if he wins the 1,000-meter race on Saturday, he will donate that $25,000 as well. Koss said Cheek told him “that he wanted to do something big. I was so humbled to meet such a person. The most important race of his life is coming up in a couple days, and he’s talking about what he can do to give back” (L.A. TIMES, 2/14). Cheek: “I know how news cycles work. Tomorrow there will be another gold medalist. So I can either gush how wonderful I feel or use it for something.” Cheek added Koss “has lived his life in a manner I hope to live my life. I can only hope to fit into his large shoes” (N.Y. POST, 2/14).

REAX: Cheek is retiring to attend college after the current season ends, and his agent, Patrick Quinn, was asked if the $25,000 donation “might be the equivalent to” Tiger Woods donating $25M. Quinn: “Oh no. Much more” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/14). ESPN The Magazine’s Eric Adelson, on Cheek: “Here’s your Olympic hero, America.” Adelson: “Amazing how reporters like yours truly chase after the Bode Millers and Michelle Kwans of the world and stories like Cheek’s get largely ignored. ... Cheek’s gold medal weighs just as much as any won by the names you’ve seen in commercials or on NBC. And, thank goodness, his impact might be much heavier” (ESPN.com, 2/13).