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This year’s Tokyo Olympic Games has officially banned athletes from wearing “Black Lives Matter” apparel at the Olympic ceremonies this summer.
The ban on “Black Lives Matter” apparel is now a part of the broad policy that the International Olympic Committee announced a few weeks ago, stating there will be no demonstrations on the field of play, during an official ceremony, or at the podium.
In shorter terms, it’s a ban on all protests and political messages and if participants do not follow the rules they will be subject to punishment. A punishment that will be determined by the actions of the participant and evaluated by the athlete’s National Olympic Committee, International Federation, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
This does not mean that everything “Black Lives Matter” will not be allowed during the Olympics. Participants will still be allowed to say “Black Lives Matter” slogans during press conferences, interviews and team meetings. They will also be able to use words such as “peace,” “respect,” “solidarity,” “inclusion,” and “equality” on their apparel. Expressing their views on certain situations does not fall into the category of protests and demonstrations, so athletes are free to do so.
In a statement made by the IOC, the official decision came after the majority of 3,500 athletes agreeing with strict rules against demonstrations in a survey conducted last year.
The Chair of IOC Athletes’ Commission Kirsty Coventry stated, “a very clear majority of athletes said that they think it’s not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies or at the podium. So our recommendation is to preserve the podium, field of play and official ceremonies from any kind of protest or demonstrations or acts perceived as such.”
For athletes that do make political or social justice protests at the Tokyo Olympics, they are promised to receive legal support by a global union and activist group in Germany. A day after the IOC announcement, the World Players Association and Athleten Deutschland pledged their support for athletes.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Games were cancelled last summer and pushed to this year, summer 2021.
