Forbidden to protest: the IOC punish political gestures on the podiums of the Tokyo Games

The agency specifies how to punish athletes who follow in the footsteps of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico 1968

The story is yours. From the Americans Tommie smith Y John carlos raising the fist in the 1968 Mexico Games against systematic racism living in their country until the etope Feyisa Lilesa Crossing his arms at the 2016 Ro Games against the oppression of his minor, the Oromo. The Olympic story is yours. The political demands mean the event as much as the competition itself, raise silenced proclamations, make local problems visible, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has never liked it.

Smith and Carlos, for example, tried to expel them from the Villa when they got off the podium and they were only saved by the organizer, Mexico, for maintaining their credentials.

Despite having fallen into grave incongruities, such as the Nazi symbol that involved the 1936 Berlin Games, the Olympic Charter has always rejected the mix of sport and politics, but has never specified how. Now I know. The IOC met this Thursday with the Athletes Commission in Lausanne to report on the changes made to rule 50 as long as the acts of Tommie Smith, John Carlos or Feyisa Lilesa are never repeated. According to the new rule, if any athlete protests in the Tokyo Games, he will face a sanction protocol that will bring together the IOC itself, the International Federation of its sport and its National Olympic Committee and end up in “disciplinary measures”. It may be expelled from the Villa or be punished with an unspecified period of disqualification.

“No type of political, religious or racial manifestation or propaganda is allowed anywhere, any place or other Olympic area,” the IOC recalled, stressing that this prohibition includes “all Olympic places” in clear reference to the podiums.

Beyond the historical protests of Tommie Smith, John Carlos or Feyisa Lilesa, in recent years there have been increased claims in medal delivery ceremonies and that is what has led the IOC to act. Last year, in just 24 hours, three medalists captured all the attention of two different events: the American Imboden Race, team fencing champion, knelt under the notes of the American anthem at the Pan American Games in Lima and the Australian Mack horton and the british Duncan Scott They refused to step on the podium with Sun Yang, accused of doping, during the Gwangju Swimming World Cup.