Listening to athletes, USOPC won't punish Olympic protests
FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, a gold medalist stands behind the podium after the flower ceremony at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, a gold medalist stands behind the podium after the flower ceremony at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST
FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2019, file photo, Gwen Berry of the United States waves as she is introduced at the start of the women's hammer throw final during athletics competition at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. In the summer of 2019, U.S Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland reprimanded Berry and fencer Race Imboden for violating Rule 50, which prohibits inside-the-lines protests at the games, after Berry raised her fist and Imboden kneeled on the medals stand at the Pan-Am Games in Peru. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2019, file photo, Gwen Berry of the United States waves as she is introduced at the start of the women's hammer throw final during athletics competition at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. In the summer of 2019, U.S Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland reprimanded Berry and fencer Race Imboden for violating Rule 50, which prohibits inside-the-lines protests at the games, after Berry raised her fist and Imboden kneeled on the medals stand at the Pan-Am Games in Peru. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos extend gloved hands skyward in racial protest during the playing of national anthem after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze for the 200 meter run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman is at left. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos extend gloved hands skyward in racial protest during the playing of national anthem after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze for the 200 meter run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman is at left. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST
FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, John Carlos, left, and Tommie Smith pose for a photo in front of statue that honors their iconic, black-gloved protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, John Carlos, left, and Tommie Smith pose for a photo in front of statue that honors their iconic, black-gloved protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST
FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2020, file photo, a man and a woman look at the Olympic rings float in the water in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2020, file photo, a man and a woman look at the Olympic rings float in the water in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST
FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, a statue in honor of former Olympians Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos is seen on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. It was Rule 50, which prohibits inside-the-lines protests at the games, that most famously led to the ouster of Smith and Carlos from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City after the sprinters raised their fists on the medals stand to protest racial inequality in the United States. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, a statue in honor of former Olympians Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos is seen on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. It was Rule 50, which prohibits inside-the-lines protests at the games, that most famously led to the ouster of Smith and Carlos from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City after the sprinters raised their fists on the medals stand to protest racial inequality in the United States. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST
FILE - In this June 11, 2019, file photo, a man walks past the Tokyo 2020 Olympic logos in Tokyo. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - In this June 11, 2019, file photo, a man walks past the Tokyo 2020 Olympic logos in Tokyo. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Dec. 10, 2020 10:53 AM EST