US athletes can protest at trials after policy U-turn

LOS ANGELES • The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said on Tuesday that athletes competing at trials for the Olympic Games will be free to raise their fist or kneel during the national anthem.

In a new policy directive laying out the rules for permitted protests by American athletes, the USOPC revealed that competitors could use one of a range of gestures to demonstrate for racial and social justice.

Protests allowed included kneeling on the medal podium or during the Star-Spangled Banner, raising a fist at the podium or start line, and wearing a hat or masks with phrases such as "Black Lives Matter", "Trans Lives Matter" or words like "equality" or "justice". They can also voice their opinions outside of the trials on other forums like social media and the press.

In an open letter sent to Team USA athletes, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said the organisation "values the voices of athletes and believes that their right to advocate for racial and social justice as a positive force for change aligns with the fundamental values of equality that define Team USA and the Olympic and Paralympic movements".

The new USOPC policy is a striking departure from previous rules, which strictly forbid any kind of protests by athletes, although US Olympic chiefs stressed that the new guidelines only applied to upcoming Olympic trials events.

Separate rules about protests at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics will be released once the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee have formulated policies.

The IOC's Rule 50 strictly forbids any kind of protests by athletes at the Olympics, but American athletes and international athlete associations have increasingly challenged those rules.

Olympic officials have previously come down hard on athlete protesters, infamously expelling Americans John Carlos and Tommie Smith from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for their iconic "Black Power" salutes.

In January last year, the IOC issued an updated set of guidelines regarding athlete activism, outlawing any kind of demonstration on the medal podium or field of play.

The enhanced regulations followed incidents at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, where hammer thrower Gwen Berry and fencer Race Imboden protested on the medal podium.

Both athletes were subsequently reprimanded by the USOPC and given probation for 12 months.

The new rules also detail criteria for protests which will be deemed impermissible.

Any gesture which advocates "against people, their dignity or their rights, including - but not limited to - hate speech, racist propaganda or threatening, abusive or discriminatory remarks, or physical harm to others or to property" will remain forbidden.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS