Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea are a perfect platform for athletes to "express their opposition to the tyranny that is actively trying to stifle those values" around the world.
"So what's an Olympic athlete to do in these days when tyrants like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Donald Trump trample rights and threaten world peace?" Abdul-Jabbar writes in a column published Monday in The Hollywood Reporter.
"The Olympics are more relevant than ever because, in the face of the rise of tyrants, the event is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the core values of the Games beyond aggressive flag-waving . . .
"In the coming Olympics, each athlete has the opportunity to fulfill his or her dreams while expanding the limitations of human capabilities. For those more interested in equality than in endorsements, in humanity more than hubris, it is also an opportunity to speak your truth."
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