Tokyo — The simple act of kneeling felt more monumental when it happened at the Olympic soccer field in Japan on the first night of the action.
Women’s team players from the United States, Sweden, Chile, the United Kingdom and New Zealand knelt before the match on Wednesday night and made anti-racist gestures never seen before on the Olympic stage. They considered the three-week stay in Tokyo to be the first of many of this type of demonstration.
Olympic rules prohibiting such demonstrations at the Olympics have been hotly debated and contested for decades, and those issues have reached a flash point in the last two years. As a result, the rules have changed and some sports organizations have become more motivated to enforce them.
How have the protests and demonstrations at the convention evolved over the years? Here is a brief summary.
What: The Olympics have always claimed themselves as a non-political entity designed to unite the nation to celebrate sports and international unity. One of the most recognized symbols of that non-political ideal is the ban on “propaganda” at conventions. Rule 50 of the IOC Charter states that “no demonstrations or political, religious or racial publicity of any kind is permitted at the Olympic venues, venues or other areas.”
WHO: The ideal of the rules was most prominently tested before it was officially enshrined in the Olympic Charter. American sprinters Tommy Smith and John Carlos raised their black gloved fists during the national anthem at the 200-meter medal ceremony at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He was banished from the Olympic movement for nearly half a century. Until 2016, the US Olympic Committee did not take them to official events. Until 2019, it didn’t enshrine them in its Fame Hall of Fame.
When: The basic structure of Rule 50 was written in the Olympic Charter in 1975. At that time, it was actually part of Rule 55, stating: The area is forbidden. It will be refined and rewritten over the years. Only a few months ago, in the face of increasing pressure to abolish the rules, the IOC said it would make the latest adjustments and allow some demonstrations, but only “before the start of the competition” rather than on the medal podium. .. The IOC also gives the international organizations that operate individual sports discretion as to how and whether or not to implement the ban.
Location: This rule became a problem in Lima, Peru, half a world away from Tokyo in the summer two years ago. It was at the Pan American Games medal stand that American hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised his fist and American swordfighter Race Imboden knelt down. They both received a year-long probation letter from the US Olympic and Paralympic Commission and sent a message to other American athletes thinking about the same thing at the Tokyo Olympics the following year. The coronavirus pandemic delayed the game by 12 months, and the killing of George Floyd in the United States and subsequent activities prompted a thorough rethinking of the rules. The USOPC has put pressure on the IOC as it has decided not to sanction athletes who violate Rule 50. The IOC often relies on national committees to enforce the rules at conventions.
Reason: While the USOPC was being reviewed, the IOC ordered the Athletes Commission to rethink the rules. The Commission sent a global survey that found widespread support for the rules as it was written. Following that lead, the IOC chose to keep the rules almost intact. It set the possibility of tension through the tournament in Tokyo, which telegraphed themselves as one of the athletes watched by Berry and US sprinter Noah Lyles, in addition to the football team. Lyles wore black gloves and raised his fist at the start of the Olympic trial. Meanwhile, Berry turned away from the flag while playing the national anthem.
What is the history of the opposition rules of the Olympics? | Sports
Source link What is the history of the opposition rules of the Olympics? | Sports