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.