Clarisse Silva Caetano
M.sc, Member of the Laboratory of Olympic and Sociocultural Studies of Sports (LEOS), Brazil.
Email: clarissescaetano@gmail.com
Dr. Doiara Silva dos Santos
Tenured Assistant Professor, Federal University of Viçosa, and Director of the Laboratory of Olympic and Sociocultural Studies of Sports (LEOS), Brazil.
e-mail: santosdoiara@ufv.br
Dr. Thaise Ramos Varnier Antunes
Conducts research with an emphasis on Olympics, sports and comprehensive education.
Email: thaisevarnier@gmail.com
Donaldson Rodrigues Thompson
Ph.D. student in Physical Education (PPGEF-UFES). He is a member of ARETE—Center for Olympic Studies.
Email: donaldson.rodrigues.thompson@gmail.com
Bruno Malias
Masters student, Federal University of Espirito Santo., and member of Arete—Olympic Studies Center (CEFD-UFES).
Email: bruno.malias@hotmail.com
Athletes are embedded in highly institutionalized and, thus, regulated environments. Historically, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympians must abide by the Olympic Charter, with rules addressed to them, such as the amateurism code, which excluded professional athletes for much of the twentieth century, and Rule 50, which was introduced in the 1970s, following John Carlos and Tom Smith’s famous Black Power Salute on the podium.
Rule 50 limited athletes’ expressions in Olympic venues in order to protect the supposed political neutrality of the IOC. About five decades later, before the Games in Tokyo, the IOC Athletes’ Commission consulted Olympians and professional athletes from different parts of the world to amend Rule 50, after some of them called for athletes’ right of freedom of expression. As a result, changes came into effect in Tokyo 2020, and now Rule 50.2 regulates athletes’ use of their space and momentum of visibility during the Olympic Games, allowing them to use their own social media and interviews to do so, including for Paris 2024.
This analysis examines further developments of Rule 50.2. It aims to discuss Brazilian media coverage of athletes’ manifestations in Paris 2024. We cataloged news on open access websites, from July 26th to August 11th. The website news included for this analysis should mention athletes’ manifestations during or immediately after their performances, as well as before or after their introduction to the public.
In total, Brazilian media covered five different manifestations that challenged Rule 50.2 in the Paris 2024 Olympics. We found three main categories: civil rights, religion, and conflicts.
Thirteen news articles were found on the Algerian delegation throwing roses into the Seine River during the opening ceremony to honor the victims of a massacre that took place in France in 1961, in which there was a mass killing of Algerians who lived in Paris by the French National Police. Algerian people’s bodies were thrown into the river. The news portal UOL explained the historical context in which the country was involved, and listed the number of victims, as well as the motivations for the massacre. It stated that France did not recognize the act of violence until 2021. The Algerian delegation’s demonstration is not acceptable in the scope of Rule 50.2. By using the opening ceremony to promote the manifestation, the athletes drew attention to socio-political tensions surrounding the host city. Athletes mobilized their symbolic capital and used a global stage to draw attention to issues that impact society beyond sport.
Other demonstrations related to the geopolitical context. Eighteen articles were found about Marcelat Sakobi, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting the boxer’s gesture after her defeat in the Olympic boxing semi-finals. She pretended to point a gun at her own head, she had tears in her eyes, and with her other hand she covered her mouth. The news portal O Antagonista emphasized that “the movement symbolizes her denunciation of the violence and genocide in her home country.” Another extract reads, “Athletes use their platforms to draw attention to neglected conflicts.” This statement is in line with the argument that the athlete is a social actor who can promote ruptures in the hegemonic structures to which he/she is subjected. By making this demonstration, the athlete not only called attention to a political concern, but also created tension in relation to the rule proposed by the IOC.
Demonstrations for general civil rights were also carried out by athletes. Kimia Yousofi, from Afghanistan, while crossing the finish line in the preliminary round of 100-meter athletics, showed a written message on the back of her identification number, that read, “Education, sports, our rights.” The news website SBT contextualized the tense political context that her country is experiencing.
Alongside the sprinter, another demonstration for rights was performed by breakdance athlete Manizha Talsh, from the Refugee Athletes team. During her performance, she wore a cape with the inscription “Free Afghan women” as part of her clothing. In the specific case of this demonstration, there were 18 news reports found, and they all referred to the disqualification of the athlete as punishment because of this demonstration. The GE news portal emphasized, “Slogans and political statements are banned during presentations and on podiums at the Olympic Games.” Although there were other demonstrations that neglected Rule 50.2, no other athlete was disqualified.
In the case of Brazilian athlete Rayssa Leal, she used Brazilian Sign Language to disseminate a Christian message during her introduction to the public at the skateboarding finals. She showed the camera, “Jesus is the way, the truth and life.” This is the most covered episode in Brazilian media, with a total of 99 publications. Media discourses not only reported the athlete’s possible punishment by the IOC, but also supported the athlete’s demonstration, and emphasized the importance of sign language.
Although Rule 50.2 was seen as a relaxation allowing athletes to position themselves, it has been violated, and media coverage does not always claim for sanctions. Finally, it is important to emphasize that the figure of the athlete as a political subject has promoted a particular form of activism in Olympic sports that challenges the image of the athlete as a myth detached from socio-political issues, a theme that requires more academic attention.
