Ivies in China Feature: Right to Play
Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal
Tucked in a corner of the Athletes’ Village here stands a large sign with an alluring message: “Your impact as an Olympian never ends.”
The office behind that sign is Right to Play, a humanitarian organization that promotes sports as a tool for development in some of the world’s most conflict-ridden and poverty-stricken countries. Right to Play says that about half of the athletes competing in Beijing have visited its office.
But as these politically loaded Games wind down, the Olympic movement finds itself at a crossroads: Can it celebrate athletes who donate time and money, but reject as troublemakers those who open their mouths?
For many elite athletes, social awakening begins at the Games with a visit to the Right to Play booth. American swimmer Natalie Coughlin, for one, calls it a “no brainer” to join.
“You have such an opportunity to raise awareness on a lot of issues,” says Ms. Coughlin. By signing up as an ambassador, her medal haul here netted $80,000 for the organization from Olympic sponsor Johnson & Johnson, which makes donations for every medal won by certain athletes. “There are a lot of people who want to use their Olympic fame for good but don’t know how,” Ms. Coughlin says.
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For more information about the organization, head to Right to Play. A large contingent of Ivy League athletes — both past and present — are involved with the organization.
