Protesters urge sponsors to press China

Darfur is an awkward issue for sponsors that have paid tens of millions of dollars to associate themselves with the Beijing Games in hopes of boosting their profiles in the burgeoning Chinese marketplace.

Companies have emphasized their charitable efforts in Sudan rather than speak out against China, which is using the games to introduce the world to its long-shielded culture and celebrate is economic arrival as a world power. Beijing has retaliated in the past for unwanted foreign actions by canceling contracts or restricting market access.

Darfur is not the only issue confronting China. Activists in several countries have interrupted the Olympic torch relay in protest of Beijing's crackdown in Tibet.

In Indianapolis, several dozen people attended a meeting on Darfur as part of a U.N. World Refugee Day program. Mastora Bakhiet, who fled Darfur in 1996 for the United Arab Emirates and has been living since 2005 in Fort Wayne, Ind., emphasized the economic influence on the violence.

"It's very important to put pressure on those companies because they are only looking for profit," She said. "They are making money and this money helps the government of Sudan to buy weapons and kill people of Darfur. So it is very important to stop making money."

The companies singled out by Dream for Darfur insist the Olympics should not be used for political gain.

"We have been involved in promoting the Olympics for over 20 years. Over the years there have been many political issues. We believe these issues are best resolved diplomatically," Volkswagen spokesman Steve Keyes said. "We decided to focus on the games and athletes."

Freudenheim, who wrote the report card, disagrees.

"The Olympics have always been political. Who gets the games is political. How the games are run are political," she said. "The actual games among wonderful athletes is wonderful. Everything around it is political."

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