John, 

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

As the 2020 Olympic Games begin, the organization responsible for creating
and upholding the rules for Olympic athletes, the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), is doubling down on punishing athletes through its
discriminatory Rule 50 ban on protests, despite mounting pressure from
athletes, media, Color Of Change members, and even the U.S. Olympic and
Paralympic Committee.^1 

Over the past year, the IOC has gone out of its way to prohibit actions
like taking a knee, raising a fist, and wearing clothes that read “Black
lives matter,” all of which are specifically associated with justice for
Black people.^2 This week, though, the IOC decided to take its racist
rules to the next level: for athletes who protest at the Olympics and wish
to appeal their punishment, they will have to convince the Court of
Arbitration for Sport, which is run by John Coates, the same man who is on
the IOC payroll to design its oppressive rules.^3 

The IOC has shown us time and time again that it is invested in
maintaining its discriminatory Rule 50 ban on protests and doling out
harsh punishments for athletes. Add John Coates’s blatant conflict of
interest on top of that, and it is clear that the IOC cannot be trusted to
be fair. 

The IOC wants athletes to just “shut up and play.”^4 But Black athletes
and athlete-allies are not letting the IOC’s racist and unethical rules
deter them; they are bravely demonstrating their commitment to the fight
for racial justice on the Olympic stage. So as we continue to fight to end
Rule 50, we are calling on the companies who sponsor the Olympics to do
the same. It’s time for corporations like Visa, Hershey’s, Coca-Cola, and
Nike to get off the sidelines.

As the Tokyo Olympics get into full swing this week, we must continue to
show that we support athletes who protest, and we must push the companies
who fund the Olympics to do the right thing. Join us in demanding the
Olympic corporate sponsors publicly demand an end to Rule 50.

[ [link removed] ]SIGN THE PETITION to end rule 50

Until justice is real, 
The Color Of Change team 

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References: 

 1. “Listening to athletes, USOPC won’t punish Olympic protests,”
Associated Press News, December 10, 2020,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 2. “The IOC is now daring Olympic athletes to protest,” The Nation, May
13, 2021,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 3. “Global Athlete,” Twitter, July 21, 2021,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 4. “Gwen Berry is the hero we need,” The Nation, July 2, 2021,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

 


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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.

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