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Rower bikes for Tibet's rights

By Katie Schneider | Calgary Sun

As his friends head home fresh off medal wins in Beijing, another accomplished rower is cycling across Canada in support of better human rights in China and Tibet.

David Kay, a former Team Canada member and Pan American medallist, is cycling 35 days and 8,000 km from St. John’s to Victoria, 200 km a day, as part of his quest called Tibet’s Race for Rights.

Stopping by Olympic Plaza yesterday, Kay, 29, said China has not kept its 2001 promise to improve human rights, such as freedom of religion and speech.

“Race for Rights is my response to China’s commitment to improve its human rights record,” he said.

For Chinese Calgarian Wenyu Liu, 36, whose wife Yue Yao is currently serving a 12-year sentence for practising the Falun Gong faith, Kay’s ride means giving a voice to those suffering from religious oppression shows Canadians care about the issue.

“I really appreciate David’s effort to raise awareness of human rights abuse in China, not only my wife, but the thousands of Falun Gong practitioners tortured or killed,” said Liu.

Copyright © 2008 Canoe Inc.

Published in Calgary Sun