Team GB star Dina Asher-Smith has condemned the Tokyo Olympics 2020 organisers of preventing athletes from protesting during the games. It following the IOC (International Olympic Committee) reversing their decision on originally reinforcing Rule 50 which states that no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.
The Olympics sprit hope said that they (the IOC) had no choice in regards of changing their decision. Organisers attempted to ban athletes from ‘taking the knee’ during the Games.
Set to compete in the 100 and 200 metres in Japan, Dina said she believes that the decision would have brought the Tokyo Games bad publicity. She also said; “If you were to penalise someone for standing up against racial inequality, how on earth would that go? Just how on earth are you going to enforce it?”
“Would you revoke someone’s medal for saying racism is wrong? But I think it’s good they have lifted it. How would you police that, particularly when people feel so strongly about that right now?
“Also, if you were to penalise someone or revoke a medal, how would that go optically?” she continued: “I did see it as completely unenforceable and I think they had no choice but to lift it otherwise they would have been faced with loads of athlete protests at the Games and it would have been very embarrassing for them,” she said.
“Unless they want to say they are against people being against racism I didn’t see how that was going to happen. One of the Olympics’ most iconic moments included the Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968.
“That is something people remember the Olympics for, something they’re very proud to see at the Olympic Games. So, to think they’re suddenly going to get up and say ‘absolutely not’ – I think they’d be shooting themselves in the foot.”
