(EFE).- The International Olympic Committee said Friday that athletes will be permitted to make gestures of protest on the playing field during the upcoming Summer Games in Tokyo.
“During the Olympic Games, athletes will have the opportunity to express their views,” the IOC said in a statement.
The IOC said athletes will be allowed to express their opinions on the field prior to the start of the competition or during the introduction of the athlete or team, but not during the competition itself.
“When expressing their views, athletes are expected to respect the applicable laws, the Olympic values and their fellow athletes. It should be recognized that any behavior and/or expression that constitutes or signals discrimination, hatred, hostility or the potential for violence on any basis whatsoever is contrary to the Fundamental Principles of Olympism,” it added.
Athletes will also be allowed to express opinions during press conferences, interviews and on social media.
The new guidelines are the result of the third review of the regulation in 18 months.
“Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter provides for the protection of the neutrality of sport at the Olympic Games and the neutrality of the Games themselves,” the IOC pointed out.
The move comes after numerous athletes called for the restrictions on freedom of expression to be eased.
Athletes had demanded that the Olympics permit demonstrations of the kind now commonly seen at sporting events, such as players’ taking the knee to support Black Lives Matter and display of rainbow flags in solidarity with LGBTQ people. EFE omm/mp/dr
© 2021 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc.
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
Bad idea—VERY BAD.
This another disgusting move by another worthless bureaucratic institution. Especially the olympics should not be a platform to display your DISRESPECT for your nation. If you want to display your opinions run for office and do something instead of being a whiney crybaby. How about voting every year . Ask these crybabies to prove they voted every year or show us what you have done to help those causes you claim to back.
YET another bunch of COWARDS, showing just how YELLA they are.. IMO THEY SHOULD have told these athletes “HERE are the rules, if you don’t like them, THEN DO NOT COMPETE!!!”
The politically correct IOC! ” It should be recognized that any behavior and/or expression that constitutes or signals discrimination, hatred, hostility or the potential for violence on any basis whatsoever is contrary to the Fundamental Principles of Olympism,” it added”? So the IOC out of one side of their mouths state that that hatred and hostility is allowed and then out of the other side of their mouths they are stating that hatred is not allowed. So Gwendolyn Berry is allowed to express hatred toward our Country according to the IOC.
I Wonder, WAS IT CAUSE Of what Barry did, and the leftist backlash ABOUT her getting folks complaining about what she did, that prompted the IOC, to Cave into their whining??
Just one more bit of rubbish I can cross off my TV list.
I wouldn’t watch that drivel if it was the only thing on.
The US olympic committee should step up here and issue a warning to all US athletes. If you choose to demonstrate disrespect for the country you represent, you will be thrown off the US olympic team, and banned from participating in any future olympic trials. PERIOD.
WE can hope they have the balls to do that.. BUT I FEAR they do not.
Gwen Barry should be disqualified then because she spews hate when she opens that big mouth of hers. The Olympics is a sporting event that includes all nations and any nations politics should not be allowed for this is not the forum for that. KISS applies here.
THE US team is the one who needs to disqualify her, and GIVE HER SPACE up to the 4th place finisher…
“Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter provides for the protection of the neutrality of sport at the Olympic Games and the neutrality of the Games themselves,” the IOC pointed out…. Huh?
Oh No it does NOT give protection of the neutrality of sport at the Olympic Games and the neutrality of the Games themselves.
If radical protesters are permitted to express their hateful political or sexual perverted views on the field prior to the start of the competition or during the introduction of the athlete or team, then the games ARE NOT an expression of neutrality.
Especially when WHITE PEOPLE for years, have been prevented from showing “ANYTHING that would be seen as WHITE pride” (as that would be racist!)
Let’s hold all further olympics in Africa. The locals should make lots of money off the international community as a result and will show case the continent where slavery is still in practice and regions reminiscent of the stone age exemplify the legacy that african-americans were “cheated out of” as a result of the U.S. democrat party’s policy of “chained job creation”. Let protests erupt in countries run by self-installed dictatorships and where the fortunate and superior citizenry enjoys a life of the 3rd world with poverty and starvation. Let’s see how long “oppressed american(?) athletes” will last in a system they so aggressively strive toward.
I doubt there’s a single nation IN AFRICA that has even 1/5th the infrastructure needed to host the olympics..
What is next? Protest by house painters, plumbers, electricians, drive through workers, bank tellers, fire fighters, street pavers, …..?
What a shame.. I was hoping to be able to watch, but now gonna just have to add it to the unwaqtchable list along with MLB, The NBA, and the NFL of things that politics should not be a part of, but which have all imo been ruined by it and as a result shouldnt be watched by anyone until the leagues, IOC, etc… grow a pair and put a stop to those athletes using sports as a platform to voice what is almost always a disrespectful and hypocritical protest based on their position and always an impropper place to do it.
Luckily i will STILL have the swimming to watch.. THAT AT least has not been fubarred over..