- The International Olympic Committee is standing by its rule banning athletes from protesting on the podium heading into the Summer
Olympics next year. - USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland announced on Monday that she would be "creating an athlete-led group to challenge the rules and systems in our own organization that create barriers to progress, including your right to protest."
- The moment marks a shift for
Team USA , as Hirshland had put two athletes on probation in the past year for demonstrations they made on the podium at the Pan American Games. - With many leagues and governing bodies around the
sports world now embracing player protests, it's possible more changes are coming before the Opening Ceremonies begin in the summer of 2021.
The International Olympic Committee is holding firm to its rule that bans athletes from demonstrating on the podium.
On Tuesday, the IOC confirmed to the Telegraph's Ben Bloom that when it comes to players protesting during medal ceremonies — in the form of kneeling, raising a fist, or other gestures — "the guidelines are still in place."
While
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell offered a mea culpa on the league's resistance to peaceful player protest last week, saying, "We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier, and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."
US Soccer is considering repealing its ban on kneeling during the national anthem that was established in 2017. The movement isn't just taking place in the United States, with soccer clubs across Europe demonstrating solidarity with the ongoing protests taking place after the death of Floyd.
Despite the IOC's insistence that the rule will still be in place when the Summer Olympics take place in 2021, Team USA is still making an effort to enact change. On Monday night, Sarah Hirshland, the USOPC's chief executive, wrote on Twitter that she was "creating an athlete-led group to challenge the rules and systems in our own organization that create barriers to progress, including your right to protest."
—Sarah Hirshland (@USOPC_CEO) June 9, 2020
In the past year alone, a few American athletes have already faced punishments for their decision to protest on the podium. Hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised a fist as the final notes of the national anthem played after she won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games, and fencer Race Imboden took a knee on the podium.
At the time, Hirshland sent both athletes letters to inform them they were put on probation for 12 months. "It is also important for me to point out that, going forward, issuing a reprimand to other athletes in a similar instance is insufficient," Hirshland wrote.
Hirshland's shift on Monday came after she took part in town hall discussions with athletes last week. "They listened to the people who spoke up and who shared their stories, especially athletes from the black community," Imboden said, according to the Washington Post. "They called for change. The USOC is listening. Hopefully, this will be widespread and go deep and break some of those roots of systematic racism and systematic problems that are in every organization, including the USOC."
"It's encouraging," Berry said of the USOPC's announcement, per the Washington Post. "I think it demonstrates that athletes' peaceful protesting is powerful and it can promote change. It's a step in the right direction. We need to challenge the rule."
Given how quickly many sports have shifted to embrace the protests of players, including Hirshland's announcement on Monday, there could still be plenty more changes to come before Opening Ceremonies in Tokyo next summer.
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