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The Olympics have just started, but officials already seem to be embroiled in the controversy.
The Games’ opening football matches began with kneeling protests in the Great Britain-Chile and the United States-Sweden matches. But oddly enough, it appears that no photos of players protesting before kick-off have been posted on social media from official channels.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organizers have reportedly banned their social media from posting photos of kneeling athletes during protests, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. No photos of the protests appeared on social media pages, according to the newspaper.
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An insider told The Guardian the post came from senior officials with specific reference to the Great Britain-Chile game. British footballers have vowed to kneel down to protest racism, inequality and discrimination ahead of their Olympics matches and have followed up on the statement.
Neither the GB team nor the IOC immediately responded to Fox News’ request for comment.
“It’s allowed,” IOC President Thomas Bach told a press conference on Wednesday when asked about the protests. “This is not a violation of Rule 50. This is expressly what is permitted in these guidelines.”
Earlier in July, the IOC extended more guidelines on athletes’ freedom of expression at the Tokyo Games, but warned against political gestures at official ceremonies, competitions and in the Olympic Village
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The IOC said the guidelines were approved by the IOC Executive Board as part of the recommendations of the IOC Athletes’ Commission (IOC IOC). The IOC said the guidelines provide “more clarity” on the “wide range of opportunities available to them to express their views.”
Athletes will be allowed to express a political gesture before the start of a competition or during their presentation or team presentation. However, the gesture must meet four different criteria.
The gesture must be in accordance with the “Fundamental Principles of Olympism”; cannot target a specific person, country or organization; cannot be disruptive; and cannot already be banned by a nation’s Olympic committee or federation.
“When expressing their opinions, athletes are required to respect applicable laws, Olympic values and their fellow athletes. It must be recognized that any behavior and / or expression which constitutes or signals discrimination, hatred, hostility or the potential for violence against any base whatsoever is contrary to the Fundamental Principles of ‘Olympism,’ said the IOC.
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If an athlete breaks the guidelines, the IOC has foreseen a possible discipline. The IOC could organize disciplinary hearings, during which the athlete would be required to provide full transparency about his actions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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