{"id":470742,"date":"2021-04-23T10:01:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T17:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=470742"},"modified":"2021-04-23T12:08:21","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T19:08:21","slug":"ioc-survey-shows-support-for-maintaining-rule-50-against-athlete-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ioc-survey-shows-support-for-maintaining-rule-50-against-athlete-protest\/","title":{"rendered":"IOC Survey Shows Support for Maintaining Rule 50 Against Athlete Protest"},"content":{"rendered":"

A report published by the International Olympic Committee shows broad support for keeping Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter in place in the name of political neutrality.<\/p>\n

While the survey and a qualitative consultation with athletes revealed a desire for greater athlete expression, the clear compromise was to have that occur anywhere but where Rule 50 governs<\/a>, which is the Olympic ceremonies and fields of competition.<\/a><\/p>\n

The report<\/a> was the product of an 11-month process from the IOC, started in June 2020 and conducted with IOC Athletes Commission. It polled 3,547 athletes from 185 National Olympic Committees and 41 sports on a gender-equal basis. It was conducted in consultation with Continental Associations\u2019 Athletes\u2019 Commissions and the World Olympians Association.<\/p>\n

The conclusion reached by the IOC is that the IOC is correct in maintaining Rule 50 to supply \u201ca framework to protect the neutrality of sport and the Olympic Games.\u201d While the process yielded a number of recommendations on increasing athlete expression, it did so within the framework of Rule 50, which many Americans in particular<\/a> have been vocal in wanting to see abolished or substantially reformed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of this wide outreach was to engage with athletes and hear their thoughts on existing and new opportunities to express their views at the Olympic Games as well as outside Games time,\u201d IOC Athletes Commission chairperson and swimming gold medalist Kristy Coventry<\/strong> said. \u201cWe want to amplify the voices of athletes, and find more ways to support the values of the Olympic Games and what sport stands for. This consultation was a very important process for us and is part of the ongoing dialogue with the athlete community. We are delighted that the IOC EB fully supported our proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exact bounds of \u201cGames time\u201d is the contention, and Rule 50 seems to sketch the bounds of it. In preserving its ceremonies as sacrosanct, the IOC appears to be allowing greater latitude to athletes in peripheral portions of the Games. From the report:<\/p>\n

Moreover, a clear majority of athletes believe that it is not<\/span> appropriate for athletes to demonstrate or express their views in these three players (67% think that \u201cthe Podium\u201d is \u201cnot appropriate,\u201d 70% for each of the \u201cfield of play\u201d and \u201cduring the Opening Ceremony\u201d). (emphasis in original)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The IOC Athlete Commission put forth six recommendations, backing an increase in athletes\u2019 expression at:<\/p>\n