Speedskating-Cheek gives silver medal money to charity

By Karolos Grohmann

TURIN (Reuters) – American Joey Cheek on Saturday donated
the $15,000 he will receive from the U.S. Olympic Committee for
his men’s speedskating 1,000 meters silver medal he won at the
Turin Games to a charity.

He says his efforts here have so far raised $250,000.

Cheek has already donated the $25,000 he got for the 500
meters gold medal he won earlier in the Games to the
humanitarian group “Right to Play,” founded by former Olympic
speedskating champion Johann Koss.

“It’s another 15,000 to the ‘Right to Play’,” he told
reporters. “Eight or nine companies decided to match my
original donation.” He said the total figure amounted to
$250,000.

Koss founded the charity to help children in refugee camps
play and battle apathy crime and sexual abuse. He told Reuters
on Saturday that Cheek’s contribution was vital to expanding to
other countries.

“What Joey did was absolutely critical. This means enormous
growth for us,” Koss, a Norwegian who has won four gold medals,
said.

‘TOO CROWDED’

Koss was in the stands on Saturday but Cheek told Reuters
he had not seen him yet.

“It was too crowded. I could not see him but will meet up
with him soon.” The two are set to promote the charity at a
media event in Turin early next week.

Cheek says he plans to quit the sport and study economics
at a U.S. university after the Games.

He has applied to the prestigious Harvard University and
last week following his gold medal win had said they had not
yet answered.

Asked on Saturday whether Harvard did answer eventually,
Cheek, who now has won a set of medals after winning bronze in
the 2002 Olympics, smiled.

“You know, I haven’t heard from those guys,” he said,
laughing heartily. “But I did hear from Georgetown, Princeton
and Stanford.”