John,
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.
SIGN THE PETITION to end rule 50
Until justice is real,
The Color Of Change team
References:
- “Listening to athletes, USOPC won’t punish Olympic protests,” Associated Press News, December 10, 2020, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/286055?t=6&akid=51662%2E4731121%2E2Juvq3
- “The IOC is now daring Olympic athletes to protest,” The Nation, May 13, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/307634?t=8&akid=51662%2E4731121%2E2Juvq3
- “Global Athlete,” Twitter, July 21, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/315246?t=10&akid=51662%2E4731121%2E2Juvq3.
- “Gwen Berry is the hero we need,” The Nation, July 2, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/315247?t=12&akid=51662%2E4731121%2E2Juvq3.
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.
