The story is yours. From the Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in the 1968 Games of Mexico against the systematic racism they lived in their country to the Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa crossing their arms in the 2016 Rio Games against the oppression of their minority, the Oromo. The Olympic history is yours. Political demands mean the event as much as the competition itself, raise silenced proclamations, make local problems visible, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has never liked it.
Smith and Carlos, for example, tried to expel them from the Villa when they got off the podium and they were only saved by the efforts of the organizing country, Mexico, to keep their credentials.
Despite having fallen into serious incongruities, such as the Nazi symbology that involved the 1936 Berlin Games, the Olympic Charter has always rejected the mix of sport and politics, but has never specified how. Now yes. The IOC met on Thursday with the Athletes Commission in Lausanne to report on the changes made to rule 50 as long as the acts of Tommie Smith, John Carlos or Feyisa Lilesa are never repeated. According to the new rule, if an athlete protests in the Tokyo Games, he will face a sanction protocol that will bring together the IOC itself, the International Federation of its sport and its National Olympic Committee and will end up in "disciplinary measures". He could be expelled from the Villa or be punished with an unspecified period of disqualification.
"No type of political, religious or racial demonstration or propaganda is allowed in any place, place or other Olympic area," recalled the IOC that stressed that this prohibition includes "all Olympic places" in clear reference to the podiums.
Beyond the historical protests of Tommie Smith, John Carlos or Feyisa Lilesa, claims in medal delivery ceremonies have increased in recent years and that is what has led the IOC to act. Last year, in just 24 hours, three medalists captured all the attention of two different events: the American Race Imboden , team fencing champion, knelt under the notes of the American anthem at the Pan American Games in Lima and the Australian Mack Horton and the British Duncan Scott refused to take the podium with Sun Yang, accused of doping, during the Gwangju Swimming World Cup.
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