IOC details rules on political protests at Olympics
Associated PressLAUSANNE, Switzerland — No taking a knee at the Olympics. “We needed clarity and they wanted clarity on the rules,” said Kirsty Coventry, chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, which oversaw the new three-page document. Athletes who break protest rules at the July 24-Aug. 9 Tokyo Games face three rounds of disciplinary action — by the IOC, a sport’s governing body and a national Olympic body. “It is a fundamental principle that sport is neutral and must be separate from political, religious or any other type of interference,” the IOC document states, urging “the focus for the field of play and related ceremonies must be on celebrating athletes’ performance.” A meeting Thursday between the IOC executive board and athletes’ panel also discussed the charter’s Rule 40, which strictly limits an athletes ability to promote their sponsors during official Olympic Games periods. In the German case, a federal cartel agency sided against the IOC’s argument that retaining exclusive rights for its top-tier sponsors protected the value of deals that help fund sports and athletes globally.