Nikki Dryden is a freestyle and backstroke swimmer from Canada. She competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Nikki now lives in NYC and works as a Human Rights Lawyer.

Here is what Nikki had to say about being a member of Team Darfur:

Being a member of Team Darfur brings together the two most important things in my life: sport and human rights. As an Olympic swimmer I understand the power sport has to change lives and I hope that my success can lead to positive change for the people of Darfur. As a human rights lawyer I work daily to uphold the rights of people from all over the world. Because so much of the success of human rights defenders involves the shaming of governments to do the right thing, I believe that this year, the world's Olympic athletes are in a unique position to shame the government of China for its involvement in Sudan when it plays host to the world in Beijing. When you are an elite athlete it is often hard to find your voice on such issues, but the Olympic movement was founded on the ideals of human rights and peace, so there is no time like the Olympic Games to realize that dream for the people of Darfur.