Interesting.
I’m surprised and somewhat pleased that these two fantastic athletes were not banned from competition.
I’d like athletes to feel free to speak their minds, … but preferably not during a National Anthem. Perhaps a post-competition press conference — instead — could allow and encourage more free speech than in the past.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Tuesday formally reprimanded but did not suspend or otherwise punish the two U.S. athletes who protested on the medal stand earlier this month at the Pan American Games.
In letters to fencer Race Imboden and hammer thrower Gwen Berry, USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said that while she “applaud(ed)” each athlete’s “decision to be an active citizen,” calling it “admirable,” she noted that they must “abide by the policies we agree to in order to ensure the Games succeed in their purpose for many years to come.”
She wrote that the two athletes were considered to be in “a probationary period for the next 12 months. …
