Austin (KXAN) – We are only 80 days away from the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the coronavirus pandemic. It would be an Olympics like no other – without international fans.
Athletes must pass a COVID-19 battery for a nose test, and that’s one positive result that doesn’t ruin years of hard work and training.
The games will be played all over the world. It’s a colossal stage – for both a sporting triumph and potential social change. Who can forget this image of Americans Tommy Smith and John Carlos with their fists raised during the 1968 Olympics protesting racism.
But the Olympics continues to ban athletes’ protests and can punish athletes who choose to protest anyway. This means raising a fist or kneeling during the national anthem, as many American professional athletes have done over the past year, is punishable.
These athletes can even be taken indoors.
The International Olympic Committee bans “black ages” equipment
The International Olympic Committee has become very precise about what is not allowed. In particular, she said that the slogan “Black lives matter” would ban athletes from being dressed during the Summer Olympics.
It is part of the long-standing ban by the International Olympic Committee on “political, religious or ethnic demonstrations or propaganda” on the stadium, the medal issue, or during the official ceremonies of the Games.
More general words like “peace”, “respect”, “solidarity”, “inclusion” and “equality” will be allowed on the shirts.
To date, the International Olympic Committee has not specified the types of penalties athletes may face for breaking these rules. It has only said that it will deal with each violation on a case-by-case basis.
The International Olympic Committee says the majority of athletes support a ban on protests
The International Olympic Committee’s Sports Committee named the help in support of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter for more than two-thirds of the responses of nearly 3,500 athletic advisory groups. The International Olympic Committee said 70% of athletes surveyed believed it was inappropriate to demonstrate during competition, and 67% said it was also inappropriate for the medal category.
Athletes who violate Rule 50 can be punished by three bodies: the International Olympic Committee, the governing body for their sport, and the National Olympic Committee (NOC).
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee pledged in December not to punish athletes for peacefully protesting the Olympic Trials.
Several governing bodies for various Olympic sports have said they will not penalize athletes for protesting, including World Athletics, the world governing body for athletics.
Nonprofits come forward to support athletes and lobby for “rule 50” reform
Many groups are obligated to provide legal support to athletes who are protesting. The World Athletics Federation said the IOC decision was a move they expected.
“Any athlete who is sanctioned in the Tokyo Olympics will have the full support of the world’s players,” said Brendan Schwab, the union’s executive director.
The Global Athletes Group also issued a statement encouraging athletes to “not allow the old rules of sport to replace basic human rights.”
Noah Hoffman is closely associated with the world athlete. He won an Olympic title twice, after competing in cross country skiing in Sochi in 2014 and PyeongChang in 2018. A global sports voice. ”
“We envision an Olympics in which the athletes are the focus of the show, more than the host country or surrounding politics or the sponsors,” Hoffman said. “It’s a huge scene where athletes are an afterthought.”
This report uses information from the Associated Press.
