Reporter denied entrance at Canadian border

Martin Marcias Jr., was travelling form Chicago to Vancouver to cover the effects of the Vancouver Games 2010 and to follow political events during the Olympic Resistance Network anti-Olympic convergence.

Upon arrival at Vancouver International Airport on February 6 at 11.30 a.m., Marcias was detained by the Canadian Border Service agents and questioned about his plans during his visit in Canada.

According to a press release issued by the Olympic Resistance Network, Marcias was rejected entrance and put on a plane to Seattle after several hours of detention.

Marcias is a leading member of the anti-Games organisation No Games Chicago and Chris Shaw, a Canadian professor and Games critic believes this involvement was the reason for his denied entrance.

“As a member of the No Olympics (group), I’m not terribly surprised,” Shaw said to local newspaper Metro Vancouver.

“As a Canadian I’m pretty shocked. It’s the kind of thing where we talk about what happened in China and now it’s happening here,” said Chris Shaw, who himself was questioned and detained when travelling to Coventry, UK to speak at Play the Game 2009.

The Olympic Resistance Network states that on the evening of February 6, no one had been in contact with Martin Marcias Jr. and the information on his rejection only came from the US Consulate.