Olympics protest rules relaxed for Tokyo Games

Issued on: 03/07/2021 – 03:54

Tokyo (AFP)

Athletes at Tokyo 2020 will probably be allowed to “specific their views” earlier than and after competing — however not on the rostrum — after Olympics chiefs relaxed a number of the guidelines for protests on the occasion.

The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) launched new pointers Friday softening a long-standing ban on political protests on the Video games.

It means athletes will now be allowed to take the knee earlier than play begins to focus on racial injustice, converse to the media and publish on-line about their views, or put on clothes with a protest slogan at a press convention.

However political statements throughout occasions, victory ceremonies and on the Olympic Village are nonetheless off the playing cards, the IOC mentioned.

Protests should not be “focused, instantly or not directly, towards folks, nations, organisations and/or their dignity”, the sporting physique mentioned in a press release.

Additionally they can’t be “disruptive” to different rivals, corresponding to unfurling a flag as a staff is being launched.

“The brand new pointers are a results of our intensive session with the worldwide athletes’ group,” Kirsty Coventry, chair of the IOC’s athletes fee, mentioned in a press release.

“Whereas the rules supply new alternatives for athletes to precise themselves previous to the competitors, they protect the competitions on the Area of Play, the ceremonies, the victory ceremonies and the Olympic Village.

“This was the want of a giant majority of athletes in our international session.”

It follows calls to loosen up rule 50.2 of the Olympic Constitution, which states: “No type of demonstration or political, non secular or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic websites, venues or different areas.”

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee had already promised to not sanction American athletes for “respectful” demonstrations in help of racial and social justice on the Tokyo Video games.

China, which is able to host the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, is dealing with scrutiny and boycott calls over a number of points together with the mass internment and different repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and the clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.

© 2021 AFP