IOC President Thomas Bach, when asked about athletes potentially protesting at the Tokyo Olympics, said the IOC Athletes’ Commission will talk with athletes around the world to explore how Olympians can express themselves at the Games while keeping the Olympic Charter in mind.
“The framework has been set, and now let the Athletes’ Commission and let the athletes discuss among themselves and then come up with the relevant proposals,” Bach said Wednesday. “We also agree at the same time with the Athletes’ Commission that we must always respect the Olympic spirit, and this means that we must make a difference between such support for the principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter and, potentially, divisive demonstrations.