Athletes wasted no time making a statement against injustice as Olympic competition kicked off this week ... with soccer players taking a knee before their matches on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee released a strict policy for the 2020 Games ... banning any sort of demonstrations or protests on the field of play, during ceremonies or at the podium ... and anyone who broke the guidelines would face severe sanctions.
But the IOC eased up on its rules leading up to Tokyo .