The consultation reportedly began in June of 2020 and included 3,500 athletes, according to Reuters. 70% of athletes did not want protesting to be allowed at podiums or on fields of play, Coventry reportedly said.
The International Olympic Committee announced taking a knee or raising a fist to protest will not be tolerated during the Tokyo Olympics.
The rule, which bans “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” in venues and any other Olympic area, had been under review, Reuters reported Wednesday. The IOC claimed it would keep the rule in place for the July 23 Olympics after consulting athletes.
IOC’s Athletes’ commission chief, Kirsty Coventry, claimed players were in favor of the ban.
“I would not want something to distract from my competition and take away from that,” Coventry said during an online presentation, according to Reuters. “That is how I still feel today.”
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