- Famed Olympians raised fists on podium at 1968 Games
- IOC has wavered over athletes’ right to protest in Tokyo
On 2 July, the International Olympic Committee announced changes to Rule 50, which prohibited athletes from protesting at Olympic sites. It loosened some regulations, allowing competitors in Tokyo freer expression during interviews, press conferences and in mixed zones. But now, a group of more than 150 athletes, professors, members of sports organizations and human rights and social justice experts from around the world has written an open letter calling for further action.
“We recognize the changes made to athlete expression at the Tokyo Games,” the letter reads. It continues: “While we appreciate the strides the IOC/IPC made in promoting athlete expression, we do not believe the changes made reflect a commitment to freedom of expression as a fundamental human right nor to racial and social justice in global sport.”
Related: ‘A fundamental right’: Dina Asher-Smith urges Games to allow podium protests
Today, we are calling on @Olympics & @Paralympics to change course on Rule 50 & Section 2.2! We brought together 150+ human rights/social justice experts, 25 sport orgs & 40 athletes in open letter below ⬇️ ✊✊✊✊
We need to take a STAND https://t.co/zgLPq1UGuA
