Olympic Committee Tries Once Again to Separate Politics from Sports
2020-01-24
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this month that athletes are barred from making political statements at Olympic events.
2It said banned actions can include making hand signs and bending down on one knee during medal ceremonies and competition.
3The warning came as part of new guidelines for rule 50 of the Olympic Charter - the set of rules governing the Olympic movement.
4The guidelines state: "It is a fundamental principle that sport is neutral and must be separate from political, religious or any other type of interference."
5The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, noted: "The eyes of the world will be on the athletes and the Olympic games."
6The Associated Press reported his comments.
7Kirsty Coventry is head of the IOC Athletes' Commission.
8She said the goal of the announcement is to bring clarity to an issue that been around for a long time.
9Other areas where political statements are not permitted include the field of play, at the Olympic village and during the opening and closing ceremonies.
10The IOC added that athletes may "express their opinions" at press conferences, in team meetings and on digital media while observing local laws.
11Last year, two athletes from the United States used medal ceremonies at the Pan American Games to make what U.S. officials considered political statements.
12The head of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee criticized Gwen Berry, who specializes in the hammer throw, and fencer Race Imboden.
13The two were ordered on probation for 12 months for their actions at the games in Lima, Peru.
14Possibly the most famous example of athletes making political statements came at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games.
15U.S. track and field medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised one fist in the air in what many thought to be a sign of black power.
16The IOC barred the two from competing for the remainder of the Mexico City Games.
17The athletes' commission said any punishment for breaking the rules would be given "on a case-by-case basis as necessary."
18It said that sports organizations and the athletes' national governing bodies will have the power to decide the severity of the punishment.
19Critics of the IOC policy to limit protests, however, say it is still not clear and not different from the group's stated policy for many years.
20Rule 50 of the Olympic charter states that: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted."
21It also bans advertising unless permitted by the IOC.
22The release of the guidelines takes place at a time when television broadcasts and social media enable athletes to send out messages faster and farther.
23Two recent examples are former American football player Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe, a star of the U.S. women's national soccer team.
24However, critics argue that the IOC does not make clear who will make judgments in individual cases.
25They also say the guidelines do not say who has the responsibility of carrying out punishment for breaking the rules.
26Politics have appeared in the Olympic Games many times over the years.
27Yet the stated goal of the Olympic Movement was to keep sports and politics separate.
28Critics note that Germany, under Adolph Hitler, held the Olympic Games in 1936.
29They also point to the way former IOC President Avery Brundage dealt with South Africa during its period of racial separation, known as apartheid.
30Politics caused many Americans to stay away from the Olympics 40 years ago when the U.S. team boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games.
31The United States was protesting the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union.
32Four years later, the Soviet team boycotted the Olympics held in Los Angeles, California.
33Critics of the latest guidelines say they appear to dispute or make less clear the purpose of the games.
34The Charter states: "The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced in accordance with Olympism and its values."
35Possibly with that idea in mind, IOC President Thomas Bach had his picture taken with American and Iranian athletes at the Youth Olympic Games earlier this month.
36The Tokyo Olympic Games are set to begin on July 24.
37More than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 nations and territories will compete in an event watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
38I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this month that athletes are barred from making political statements at Olympic events. It said banned actions can include making hand signs and bending down on one knee during medal ceremonies and competition. 2The warning came as part of new guidelines for rule 50 of the Olympic Charter - the set of rules governing the Olympic movement. The guidelines state: "It is a fundamental principle that sport is neutral and must be separate from political, religious or any other type of interference." 3The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, noted: "The eyes of the world will be on the athletes and the Olympic games." The Associated Press reported his comments. 4Kirsty Coventry is head of the IOC Athletes' Commission. She said the goal of the announcement is to bring clarity to an issue that been around for a long time. 5Other areas where political statements are not permitted include the field of play, at the Olympic village and during the opening and closing ceremonies. 6The IOC added that athletes may "express their opinions" at press conferences, in team meetings and on digital media while observing local laws. 7Many years of dispute 8Last year, two athletes from the United States used medal ceremonies at the Pan American Games to make what U.S. officials considered political statements. The head of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee criticized Gwen Berry, who specializes in the hammer throw, and fencer Race Imboden. The two were ordered on probation for 12 months for their actions at the games in Lima, Peru. 9Possibly the most famous example of athletes making political statements came at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. U.S. track and field medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised one fist in the air in what many thought to be a sign of black power. 10The IOC barred the two from competing for the remainder of the Mexico City Games. 11The athletes' commission said any punishment for breaking the rules would be given "on a case-by-case basis as necessary." It said that sports organizations and the athletes' national governing bodies will have the power to decide the severity of the punishment. 12Critics of the IOC policy to limit protests, however, say it is still not clear and not different from the group's stated policy for many years. Rule 50 of the Olympic charter states that: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted." It also bans advertising unless permitted by the IOC. 13The release of the guidelines takes place at a time when television broadcasts and social media enable athletes to send out messages faster and farther. Two recent examples are former American football player Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe, a star of the U.S. women's national soccer team. 14However, critics argue that the IOC does not make clear who will make judgments in individual cases. They also say the guidelines do not say who has the responsibility of carrying out punishment for breaking the rules. 15Political history 16Politics have appeared in the Olympic Games many times over the years. Yet the stated goal of the Olympic Movement was to keep sports and politics separate. Critics note that Germany, under Adolph Hitler, held the Olympic Games in 1936. They also point to the way former IOC President Avery Brundage dealt with South Africa during its period of racial separation, known as apartheid. 17Politics caused many Americans to stay away from the Olympics 40 years ago when the U.S. team boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games. The United States was protesting the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. Four years later, the Soviet team boycotted the Olympics held in Los Angeles, California. 18Critics of the latest guidelines say they appear to dispute or make less clear the purpose of the games. 19The Charter states: "The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced in accordance with Olympism and its values." 20Possibly with that idea in mind, IOC President Thomas Bach had his picture taken with American and Iranian athletes at the Youth Olympic Games earlier this month. 21The Tokyo Olympic Games are set to begin on July 24. More than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 nations and territories will compete in an event watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. 22I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 23The Associated Press wrote this story. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it with additional information from the International Olympic Committee for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 24_________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26fundamental -adj. relating to the most important part of something 27principle -n. a basic truth of idea that forms the basis of a belief 28digital - adj. involving or related to computer technology 29probation -n. a period of time when a person who has made a serious mistake is watched and must behave well 30fist - n. a person's hand when the fingers are bent in toward the middle of the hand and held there tightly 31contribute -n. to give something to help a cause or group