The International Olympic Committee seemingly reversed its stance on political protests at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and will air them on highlight reels and social media channels.
“The IOC is covering the Games on its owned and operated platforms and such moments will be included as well,” the IOC said about political protests Thursday.
Players from several teams, including the U.S. women’s soccer team, knelt or participated in other demonstrations the day before. Athletes were initially barred from participating in political protests under the decades-old Olympic Charter Rule 50.
USWNT KNEELS ALONG WITH OTHER TEAMS TO PROTEST RACISM ON FIRST DAY OF OLYMPICS
The IOC relented ahead of the start of the Olympics to give athletes more flexibility in where and how athletes protest, though, changing the rule three times in 18 months.
The committee ultimately allowed athletes to protest only “prior to the start of the competition” but not on the podium.
On Wednesday, demonstrations from athletes on the British and Chilean women’s soccer teams were not aired on live broadcasts and were excluded from Tokyo Olympic highlights as they took place immediately before the games were played.
“Taking the knee was something we spoke about as a group. We feel so strongly, and we want to show we’re united,” said Great Britain team captain Steph Houghton after her team bested Chile 2-0.
Later in the day, the U.S., Swedish, and New Zealand teams participated in protests by kneeling on the field. The Australian team protested by gathering around a flag of Australia’s Indigenous people.
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“For us, it really feels right to stand up for human rights,” said Swedish defender Amanda Ilestedt after her team’s victory.
Pictures and videos of the displays were also scarce as spectators were barred from the events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
