'Cowardice': Olympics Committee Slammed for New Guidelines Barring Athletes From Kneeling, Raising F
Source: Common Dreams
Published on
Friday, January 10, 2020
by Common Dreams
"God how I despise these Olympic politician opportunists."
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer
The International Olympic Committee drew sharp criticism from rights advocates Thursday after the organization issued revised guidelines banning athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Games from staging protests at the event including kneeling during their national anthem or raising their fists into the air.
"So the IOC is doubling down on the disgraceful treatment of athletes in 1968?" asked Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Ifill was referring to the iconic moment at the Mexico City Olympics when black Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos, as they were awarded their gold and bronze medals, respectively, wore black gloves, took off their shoes, and held their fists high to protest poverty and racism. The IOC responded by expelling Smith and Carlos.
The IOC announced the guidelines for Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter Thursday. Among the specific actions (pdf) now banned are:
Displaying any political messaging, including signs or armbands Gestures of a political nature, like a hand gesture or kneeling Refusal to follow the Ceremonies protocol.
Read more: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/10/cowardice-olympics-committee-slammed-new-guidelines-barring-athletes-kneeling
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all deference must be shown to corporate sponsors.
In addition to the overtly political aspects of past Olympics.
Just another reason I've lost interest, although I still love watching the athletes.
Too corporate, too commercialized, and the coverage we get in the USA is too jingoistic and nationalistic for my taste.
Read up on Juan Antonio Samaranch.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Antonio_Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈan ənˈtɔni(.u) səməˈɾaŋ]; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator and minister of sports under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980 to 2001. Samaranch served the second-longest term as the head of the IOC, the longest being that of Pierre de Coubertin (29 years).
From the linked article:
"When an individual makes their grievances, however legitimate, more important than the feelings of their competitors and the competition itself, the unity and harmony as well as the celebration of sport and human accomplishment are diminished," the guidelines read.
The new rules still allow athletes to express their views on social media and in interviews and at press conferences, the new document states.
(Note that Peter Norman (silver medalist, left) from Australia also wears an wear Olympic Project for Human Rights badge in solidarity with Smith and Carlos.)
