The Politicization of Sympathy: A Recurring Olympic Playbook
TIMELINE: The Selective Scrutiny of Athletes' Expressions FIRST INSTANCE: 1968 Mexico City Olympics - The Black Power Salute In 1968, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists during their medal ceremony in protest of racial injustice in the United States. They were immediately expelled from the Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and sent home. The
IOC's stated reason was a violation of Rule 50, which prohibits 'political propaganda of any kind.' (IOC, 1968 records) This established a precedent: expressions deemed 'political' by the organizing bodies would not be tolerated. REPETITION 1: 1972 Munich Olympics - Palestinian Terrorist Attack Aftermath Following the massacre of Israeli Olympic team members by the Palestinian group Black
September, the Olympic games were controversially paused for a day of mourning. However, widespread displays of Palestinian solidarity, which some athletes attempted, were largely suppressed by direct or indirect pressure from Olympic officials (BBC, 2002). The stated commitment to an 'apolitical' games, even after a direct political attack, was maintained, albeit inconsistently applied to
different forms of protest or solidarity. REPETITION 2: 2012 London Olympics - 'Moment of Silence' Denied for Israeli Victims Decades later, calls for a minute of silence at the London Olympics opening ceremony to commemorate the 1972 Munich victims were denied by the IOC (The Guardian, 2012). The IOC cited its ongoing commitment to keeping politics out of the Games, despite the direct historical