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IOC to Athletes: Take a knee, face ban at the Tokyo Games

Would be athletes to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 have been told to resist the temptation to take a knee or engage in any form of protest or risk a ban at the Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed athletes are still banned from protesting at the Games after several sports moved to allow protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, the Telegraph has reported.

Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states ‘no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.’

Athletes who breach the rule are subject to discipline on a case-by-case basis and the IOC issued guidelines in January clarifying that banned protests include taking a knee and other gestures.

The IOC reminded all that the guidelines were still in place and that it would not speculate on ‘hypothetical cases 13 months before the Olympic Games.

George Floyd death following brutality by a white Minneapolis police officer sparked worldwide protests against racial injustice, with several football players in Germany’s Bundesliga delivering their own messages of support during games

Mario Balloteli taking the knee over George Floyd brutality and racism

World governing body FIFA on which has shown zero tolerance for players expressing their views on the field, has asked competition organisers to use ‘common sense’.

Read AlsoOlympics official sees ‘real problems’ in holding Games in 2021

While athlete protests at the Olympics are rare, at the 1968 Mexico City Games black US sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists on the podium to protest racial inequality.

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