Olympic Athletes Are Testing Rules and Taking a Knee for BLM
Players still face criticism for taking political stands at games despite rule change
Nikita Parris of Team Great Britain takes a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement prior to a match against Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 24.
Photographer: Masashi Hara/Getty Images
Athlete protest, once forbidden at the Olympics, has assumed center stage at this year’s games, with players from across the globe taking a knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Women’s soccer players from Great Britain and Chile kicked off the games by taking a knee to protest the racial discrimination that Black players on England’s national team faced after losing the UEFA European Championship earlier this month. The Japanese women’s soccer team later did the same, a rare act of protest by a Japanese team. Costa Rican gymnast Luciana Alvarado took a knee and put her first in the air after finishing her floor routine on Sunday.