The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced on Tuesday that athletes will not be sanctioned if they engage in social justice protests during the national anthem at the 2021 Olympic trials.
In a nine-page document, the committee outlined the allowed forms of protest during the anthem, which include holding up a fist, kneeling, and wearing a mask or hat with social justice phrases such as “Black Lives Matter.”
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The document explained that hate symbols, as defined by the Anti-Defamation League, would be prohibited and said that an acceptable demonstration must involve “advancing racial and social justice; or promoting the human dignity of individuals or groups that have historically been underrepresented, minoritized, or marginalized in their respective societal context.”
The move comes three months after the committee told athletes they would not be punished for social justice protests on the medal stand and roughly three months before athletes will compete in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
The committee is effectively rolling back a rule known as “Rule 50,” which led to the removal of American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City after they raised their fists in the air during the anthem in a social justice protest.
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Kneeling for the national anthem and abstaining from the ceremony altogether was popularized in the United States in 2017 by then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee in a protest that he said was motivated by racial injustice in the U.S.
Over the past few years, athletes of all backgrounds in every major sports league have taken a knee during the anthem. Polling released this week showed that 34% of Americans have watched sports less due to their opposition to social justice messaging adopted by sports leagues.
