Beard bares all in first Olympic athlete protest

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

BEIJING (AFP) — American swimmer Amanda Beard staged the first athlete protest of the Beijing Olympics, unveiling a nude photo of herself Wednesday outside the Athlete's Village to back an anti-animal cruelty cause.

The two-time Olympic champion, who will defend her 200-meter breaststroke gold medal from Athens, held a poster-sized version of her new advertisement in support of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

"The Olympics are a great forum for me to use to get my message out," Beard said. "It's a great thing for me to do.

"I'm saying not to kill innocent animals. There's nothing negative that goes into that."

In the photo, a naked Beard is kneeling in water, her left hand covering her right breast and her right hand on her right...