Commonwealth Games to allow peaceful athlete protests

Commonwealth Games officials have said they won’t ban or punish any athlete who takes a knee in support of the anti-racism movement. The Birmingham 2022 Games, set to begin July 27, announced their decision on Thursday following the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcement that they were taking the opposite position for the upcoming Olympic Games.

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Despite the many athletes who have spoken out against Rule 50—which says athletes may not engage in protest or political propaganda while on the Olympic stage—the IOC continues to defend its neutrality regulation. This rule has been called out over the past two weeks as worldwide protests for social equality have persisted as a result of the death of George Floyd. The IOC hasn’t budged on the issue, insisting that the rule is necessary to maintain the inclusive nature of the Games.

Athlete can face sanctions and disqualification for disregarding the rule on the Olympic stage.

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David Grevemberg, the Commonwealth Games chief executive, told The Guardian on Thursday, “People say we’re opening a Pandora’s Box, but no, we are respecting people’s rights to voice opinions. The Black Lives movement is challenging all institutions to really look introspectively at what we can do to be more fair, more free and have better systems of justice that look after people. Sport is no different.”

Many high profile Canadian runners have been vocal about their disappointment in this rule including Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, Damian Warner and Kevin Sullivan – all have called out the importance of the Olympic stage for political statement.

The 2022 World Championships (originally scheduled for 2021) are set to follow the Commonwealth Games in two years’ time, beginning on August 6.

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