Olympians who take a knee or lift a fist in support of racial equality during the Tokyo Olympics will be punished as the International Olympic Committee maintained its ban on protests inside stadiums, at ceremonies and on podiums on Wednesday.
The IOC's Rule 50 forbids any kind of "demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda" in venues and any other Olympic area and the games' governing body concluded the rule should be maintained following consultation with athletes.
Against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement protesting racial injustice, calls have increased in recent months for a change to that rule that would allow athletes to protest.