Athletes are set to be allowed to demonstrate inside venues at the Olympic Games in Tokyo
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission is discussing granting athletes permission to demonstrate – including raising a fist or taking the knee – at specific times and in certain areas before their competition at the Games.
Athletes will remain banned from protesting or demonstrating on the podium at the Games in the Japanese capital, but the development marks a considerable shift from Rule 50, which states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas” – although stops short of the complete abolition of the rule that critics have called for.
The Athletes’ Village and Ceremonies will also be off-limits for demonstrations.
The sport-specific times and places where athletes will be able to demonstrate have not yet been fully confirmed by the IOC Athletes Commission, which held a call to discuss Rule 50 and the potential relaxion of parts of the controversial regulation today.
Changes will have to be approved by the IOC Executive Board.
Source: Inside the Games
