International Olympic Committee upholds ban on protests on field or medal stand

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) upheld a ban on athletes protesting on the field or on medal stands during this year’s games.

Athletes participating in either the summer or winter games have long been barred from making political statements during their participation, but the IOC said it would revisit its prohibition after athletes across the world began taking public stances on a litany of issues.

However, the IOC said the rule would remain in place to protect the Olympic Games’ “neutrality,” citing a survey it took showing that 70 percent of athletes said protests were inappropriate on the field. Sixty-seven percent also said there should be no protests on medal stands.

The athletes were most likely to say that expressions of support for certain causes or issues was more appropriate at press conferences.

“The IOC AC [Athletes’ Commission] is very concerned about the risk of politicization of the athletes and the risk that athletes may be put under external pressure. It is important to protect athletes from the potential consequences of being placed in a position where they may be forced to take a public position on a particular domestic or international issue, regardless of their beliefs,” the IOC said in a statement Wednesday.

The IOC made several recommendations that it says would “increase opportunities for athletes’ expression during the Olympic Games,” including efforts to “highlight the importance of solidarity, unity and non-discrimination at the opening and closing ceremonies” and “incorporate collective messaging into the Olympic Village ‘look’ to celebrate Peace, Respect, Solidarity, Inclusion and Equality.” 

The IOC did not lay out any punishments that would be handed down if athletes violate the ban.

“The goal of this wide outreach was to engage with athletes and hear their thoughts on existing and new opportunities to express their views at the Olympic Games as well as outside Games time,” Kirsty Coventry, the chairwoman of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said in a statement regarding outreach to participants. “We want to amplify the voices of athletes, and find more ways to support the values of the Olympic Games and what sport stands for.”

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said last month that certain racial and social justice demonstrations, including kneeling and raised fists, will be permitted at qualifying trials. 

The Summer Games, which were postponed from their scheduled start last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, are set to begin in Tokyo on July 23.