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More than 80% of 496 respondents said
protesting on the field of play would "detract from the
performance or experience of athletes", according to the survey
by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Athletes' Commission.
The survey comes amid growing calls on the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) to ease restrictions on protests with other
sports organisations allowing athletes to express on-field
solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in a time of
global anti-racism demonstrations following George Floyd's death
in police custody in May.
The issue of Olympic protest carries special resonance in
Australia, with track athlete Peter Norman having been part of
one of the most symbolic protests in Olympic history, when he
stood on the podium with Black American sprinters Tommie Smith
and John Carlos in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Silver medallist Norman wore a badge supporting the "Olympic
Project for Human Rights" while Smith and Carlos raised
black-gloved fists and bowed their heads during the U.S.
national anthem, a potent gesture in the civil rights era.
Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter bans any form of political
protest during Games.
The Australian survey was prompted by an IOC Athletes'
Commission initiative to explore how athletes can "support
principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter".
In domestic sport competitions, including rugby, soccer and
Australian Rules football, Australian players have taken a knee
on field in recent months to express Black Lives Matter
solidarity.
In the AOC survey, nearly 41% of athletes who responded said the
Olympics were "not a place for athletes to publicly express
their views". Some 40% believed in self-expression "depending on
the circumstances", and 19% believed in self-expression "in any
circumstances".
"Athletes now in the 2000s and beyond want to express
themselves," AOC Athletes' Commission chairman Steve Hooker said
in a video call with reporters on Friday. "The way they want to
express themselves is really varied, though."
"It should be more read that the majority of athletes ... their
passion is their sport and their focus is on sport" Hooker said.
"And they want to go to the Olympic Games and focus on that.
That doesn't mean that other people, other members of the team,
don't feel differently."
After his 1968 protest, sprinter Norman was sanctioned by
Australian Olympic officials and missed out on selection for the
following Games.
The AOC denied Norman was blacklisted for his part in the
protest but in 2012, Australian lawmakers issued a posthumous
apology to Norman "for the treatment he received ... and the
failure to fully recognise his inspirational role".
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Sam Holmes and Kenneth
Maxwell)
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