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The head of Athletics Canada says he won’t be surprised if some Canadian Olympic athletes partake in political protests during medal ceremonies and other high-profile moments at the Tokyo Summer Games, despite rules banning political messages at the Olympics.

Athletics Canada chief executive officer David Bedford said the topic of freedom of speech has been raised by some Canadian track and field athletes during weekly webinars leading up to the Tokyo Games. Athletes have shared mixed opinions about whether medal ceremonies are the appropriate moment for such political messages, Bedford said.

“There are some people who think they should leave protests off the field of play, but others who feel very strongly that the best way you shine a light on serious issues is the John Carlos-Tommie Smith way – by doing it on the field,” Bedford said in an interview on Thursday. “If it happens in Tokyo, it won’t surprise me.”

During the medal ceremony for the 200-metre sprint at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Smith (who won gold) and Carlos (bronze) stood on the winners platform and raised gloved fists in what was widely regarded as Black Power salutes as The Star-Spangled Banner was played and American flags were raised inside the jammed Olympic Stadium and in front of a global television audience.

Smith and Carlos were suspended and then expelled for life from the Olympics for their protest, which came during a time of assassinations, demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, and racial unrest in America. (The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee inducted Smith and Carlos into its Hall of Fame in 2019.)

The International Olympic Committee said in April that athlete protests and political messages would remain banned at the Olympics, citing an internal survey of 3,500 athletes conducted over the previous year.

The IOC, which did not identify the athletes it canvassed, their ethnicity nor the countries they represented, said 70 per cent of respondents said it was “not appropriate to demonstrate” on the field of play or at the opening or closing ceremony. The IOC said 67 per cent of respondents disapproved of podium demonstrations.

The IOC has not said what consequences athletes might face for protesting.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) wouldn’t say what action, if any, it would take against Canadian athletes who violate an athlete contract known as the Olympic Charter and make a political statement during medal ceremonies.

“We will address any violations of the Charter on a case-by-case basis, taking into account a variety of factors including the context of the violation,” COC spokesman Thomas Hall wrote in an email to TSN.

“The COC supports athletes’ rights to freedom of expression and we have focused on making sure Canadian athletes are crystal clear of the multiple ways they can freely express themselves at the Tokyo Olympics and not violate the rules. The IOC has identified the areas where athletes can speak freely. These include the mixed zone, press conferences, on social media, and at any non-Olympic venue.”

In its own survey in September, the COC said 80 per cent of current and retired Canadian Olympic athletes canvassed want to keep political protests off the field of play.

Bedford said Athletics Canada wouldn’t penalize Canadian athletes for protesting at the Olympics, but pointed out that athletes who compete in Tokyo do so under the jurisdiction of the IOC and COC.

“I’m certainly would not penalize someone for a protest, but then I don't have the power to remove someone’s Olympic medal, that’s up to the IOC and COC,” Bedford said. “I think it’s a sign of the times some people feel that they need to do things like this. They feel an obligation to step forward and I certainly respect that completely. But I also feel people are mis-defining free speech these days. Yes, you are free to say what you want, but that doesn’t mean you are free from consequences. I expect that there will be athletes in Tokyo who feel it’s just incumbent to [make political statements] and I get it.”

In May, British sprinter Adam Gemili, who finished fourth in the 200-metre sprint at the Rio Olympics in 2016, told The Guardian newspaper that he would take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement if he wins a medal in Tokyo.

“I would definitely protest,” Gemili said. “The fact the IOC is telling athletes ‘No, you can’t do it’ is only going to make people more angry. If the opportunity came, I wouldn’t shy away from it… This is what I don’t understand: the IOC are so quick to use Tommie Smith, the picture of his fist raised, but they are saying ‘actually, no one is allowed to do that’. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t think you can ban an athlete for protesting. And if they do all hell would break loose and it could go south and sour very quickly. They will be very naive to even try to do that.”

Athletics Canada will send a team of between 50 and 60 track and field athletes, and up to 40 team staff and coaches to Tokyo, Bedford said. Training camp for the Canadian track and field team will take place July 18-31 in Gifu, a city in central Japan. 

Bedford said Athletics Canada has an agreement from local authorities in Gifu that medical care will be provided for any Canadian team member who might need it. Some local Japanese medical authorities have warned that there isn’t space in local hospitals for Olympic athletes or coaches who might need care because of local demands.

Japan is amid a fourth wave of COVID-19. Roughly two per cent of the country has been vaccinated.

While some medical authorities have called for the Olympics to be cancelled, the IOC and Japan’s federal government have said the Games will proceed.

The COC’s Hall said all Team Canada athletes, as well as coaches, will have received a COVID-19 vaccination before they travel to Japan.

“Our planning now also includes the rollout of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines that were recently secured by the IOC,” Hall wrote. “We are encouraging all Team Canada athletes to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible. All mission team members will be fully vaccinated before the Games. We are working with our partners in the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network to provide pop-up vaccination clinics for all athletes and mission team members to mitigate pressure on the public health system.”