Beard Bares Her Soul For Animal Rights
2008-08-06
Craig Lord
Olympic 200m breaststroke champion in naked protest over animal rights; other protest over human rights

Amanda Beard has been baring all again: this time, the Playboy cover girl and 2004 200m breaststroke champion, restricted her activities to showing a naked picture of herself as part of a protest on behalf of animal rights.

Not among those on the top table for the USA Team press conference, Beard did not intent to get bored. In the village, she bared a photo of herself in the altogether as a way of highlighting the plight of animals who die for the sake of providing fur for folk who look like to look pathetic in their pelts.

Beard's was not the only protest: foreign activists unfurled pro-Tibet banners at a key Olympics venue and spoke out against China's rights record in Tiananmen Square. Four foreign activists were led away by police after they hung pro-Tibet banners outside the Beijing National Stadium. Two men from Students for a Free Tibet each climbed a light pole in front of the so-called Bird's Nest and put up the banners at dawn, said Lhadon Tethong, the New York-based group's executive director. The other two ? a man and a woman ? provided support from the base of the poles, she said.

It was the first demonstration at a games venue and was condemned by Olympic organisers. 'We express our strong opposition,; said Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee. +In terms of assembly and demonstrations, China has related laws and regulations. We hope that foreigners will respect the related Chinese laws and regulations.'

International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said organisers should expect people to +use the platform of the Olympic Games to draw attention to their causes. 'The IOC are confident Beijing city authorities will assess the situation reasonably and act with tact and understanding,' she said.