Oregon Public Broadcasting

Eugene is known as Track Town, U.S.A. That's one reason the city is hosting the U.S. Olympic Trials this week. But it's also known as a hotbed of protest.

So while hundreds of athletes ran around Hayward Field on Saturday, 150 people protested the Chinese government's treatment of Tibet. From Eugene, Ethan Lindsey reports.

Naked vegetarians, students protesting global homelessness, and critics of the Chinese government all rallied in Eugene this week.

To some in this politically-left city, that seems like the status quo.

But the protesters say they're here right now specifically because of the increased national attention.

Dickey Lama came down with protesters from Portland - her family fled the Chinese region of Tibet before she was born. She says most of all, she hopes to talk to some athletes about the situation there.

Dickey Lama: “We are here for the athletes - to get attention from the athletes. We need support from them, most importantly knowing about what's going on inside Tibet.”

Lama doesn't support boycotting the games, which fits in Eugene. Many here are still sore because the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

Several Oregonians missed their shot at Olympic gold because of that decision by President Jimmy Carter.