US Olympic athletes will not be punished for protesting peacefully in support of racial and social justice, it was announced Thursday.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it will not penalize athletes because "their voices have and will be a force for good and progress in our society," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement per The Hill.
The USOPC’s statement amends guidelines denying the right to protest political, religious or racial issues that had been announced ahead of the Summer Olympics originally scheduled for this year in Tokyo. The Games were rescheduled for 2021.
"First and foremost, it is critical to state unequivocally that human rights are not political," Hirshland said. "Peaceful calls for equity and equality must not be confused with divisive demonstrations."
The USOPC statement came after The Team USA Council on Racial and Social Justice requested the organization "end the prohibition of peaceful demonstrations" by team members at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
During the summer, a group of track and field athletes called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change the rule banning protests at the Olympics. The board of The Athletics Association supported the request by saying the rule "is in fact preventing athletes from displaying Olympism at the Olympic Games."
The USPOC’s decision contrasts Rule 50 of the IOC Olympic Charter that prohibits protests at the Games. That rule led to the ouster of US medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. The two sprinters raised their fists on the medals stand to protest racial inequality in their homeland.
In Thursday’s USOPC statement, Hirshland said the committee had been wrong in preventiung athletes from protesting just causes.
"For that, I apologize, and look forward to a future when rules are clear, intentions are understood, and voices are empowered," Hirshland said. "The USOPC's decision recognized that Team USA athletes serve as a beacon of inspiration and unity globally, and their voices have and will be a force for good and progress in our society."
Related stories
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.