Soccer Players Union Promises to Defend Olympic Protesters

Date: 22 January 2020 - 22:21

News ID: ۷۵۳۹۷

GENEVA (AP) -- Soccer players who defy Olympic rules by making protest gestures at the 2020 Tokyo Games will be supported by their global union.
Freedom of speech on issues like anti-discrimination and gender equality needs to be protected from ‘’a hypocritical rule,’’ FIFPro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said Wednesday at a United Nations labor agency conference.
The International Olympic Committee revived the debate on athlete rights this month by publishing details of protests in venues and medal ceremonies that can lead to disciplinary action, including being sent home from Tokyo.
Taking a knee, hand gestures with political meaning - such as raised fist salutes - and snubbing a fellow medalist on the podium are specific types of demonstrations long prohibited by Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter.
He praised players who have fuelled ‘’these fundamental debates’’ in soccer by speaking out about racism and equal pay for women.
‘’This is absolutely unacceptable,’’ the union official said on the sidelines of an International Labor Organization conference about athlete working conditions, also attended by Olympic officials.
The IOPolitical opinions can be expressed in Olympic venue interviews and on social media accounts, according to the new guidelines drafted after consultation by the IOC athletes’ commission.
The Tokyo Games soccer tournaments are a 16-team event for men and 12 for women. They kick off on July 22, two days before the opening ceremony, and end on Aug. 8.