Athlete protests, once forbidden at the Olympics, have made headlines 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 fist in the air after finishing her floor routine on Sunday.
¡°This global stage with a global audience is a rare opportunity,¡± said Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport and a professor at the University of Central Florida.
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