Pan Am Games protesters each get 12 months of probation
Associated PressDENVER — The letters went to the two protesters. The CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee sent letters of reprimand to hammer thrower Gwen Berry and fencer Race Imboden for protesting on the medals stand last week at the Pan American Games, but the 12-month probations that came with the letters also included a none-too-subtle signal for anyone vying for next year’s Olympics. “It is also important for me to point out that, going forward, issuing a reprimand to other athletes in a similar instance is insufficient,” Sarah Hirshland wrote in the letters sent Tuesday. In a tweet sent shortly after his team’s medals ceremony at the Pan Am Games, Imboden said: “Racism, gun control, mistreatment of immigrants, and a president who spreads hate are at the top of a long list” of issues that need to be addressed. Berry said she was protesting social injustice in America, and that it was “too important to not say something.” Hirshland said she respected the perspectives of the athletes and would work with the IOC “to engage on a global discussion on these matters.” “However, we can’t ignore the rules or the reasons they exist,” she wrote.
History of this topic
Editorial: We should all take a knee over the Olympic athlete protest crackdown
LA TimesUS athletes warned over Pan Am podium protests
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Pan American Games 2019: US athletes staging podium protests against US president Donald Trump let off with reprimand
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Two US gold medallists at Pan American Games could face sanctions over anti-Donald Trump podium protests
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Americans Protest Trump, Injustice In U.S. On Medals Stand At Pan Am Games
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