New York-On Tuesday, at the exact moment Speedo was launching their new swimsuit for Beijing, I was 10 blocks away, standing with fellow Olympic swimmer Shannon Shakespeare and actress Mia Farrow, in front of the Chinese Mission in New York City. We were, as members of Team Darfur, there to deliver a letter, signed by dozens of Olympians, human rights activists, celebrities, and Nobel Peace prize laureates, which asked the Chinese Government to "intensify [its] diplomatic engagement in support of a peaceful resolution to the situation in Darfur." We were also there to kick off a 'Global Day of Action' that focused on Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have died from genocide.

Why China and why now? Well China is hosting this summer's Olympic Games, and with that honor comes commitments and promises made to the international sporting community to honor the fundamental principals of the Olympic movement. The Olympic Charter talks about the goals of Olympism, which include "promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity." China, with its huge economic investments and oil interests in Sudan, as well as its weapons trade, is uniquely positioned to demand that the Sudanese Government immediately stop the atrocities and protect its people in the Darfur region of Sudan. Instead, the inhumanity continues. Last weekend up to 12,000 more refugees fled Sudan's Darfur region to neighboring Chad following air strikes by the Sudanese military, bringing the number of displaced people to well over 2.5 million.

My role, as a member of Team Darfur, is to raise awareness about and bring an end to this crisis in Darfur. Following our press conference on Tuesday, I did just that. I sped across town to BBC studios and took part in two radio and two TV broadcasts. I spoke to journalists from newspapers all over the world and some of my remarks from the press conference made the wire stories relating to Steven Spielberg's resignation as artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics. I ended the week on Fox Business News Channel to discuss the issues for Olympic corporate sponsors.

Throughout the week the topic varied, from the British Olympic Committee's decision to muzzle its athletes from speaking (kudos to Canada who has decided not to censor our athletes, but respect them and their voices), to the role of celebrities in creating change. However, the bottom line is this, the Olympics are about promoting peace and human understanding. They are an amazing place where athletes from all over the world come to compete for their countries and realize their dreams of glory. Team Darfur is NOT calling for a boycott, in fact we believe that the Olympics are the only place where countries should compete, on the playing field and in the pool.

I have had this postcard on my fridge for over 3 years that was made and distributed by the International Olympic Committee for their 'Celebrate Humanity' campaign in 2004. On one side are the logos of the worldwide Olympic corporate sponsors, on the other side is the picture of two cyclists competing and printed on the picture is a quote from Nelson Mandela, which has never been so poignant as it is today. "The difference between Olympians and the rest of us is: they behave as longtime friends who occasionally compete, while we behave as longtime adversaries who occasionally get along."

We hope that athletes before and during the Games will urge change, because China can and must do more to promote the Olympic ideals that they now represent as hosts of this summer's Olympic Games. China must help end the genocide in Darfur and extend the Olympic spirit from Beijing to the people of Darfur.

Check out Team Darfur at www.teamdarfur.org