‘All hell would break loose’: Team GB’s Adam Gemili insists IOC will be in for a rude awakening if they sanction athletes who support the Black Lives Matter movement at the Olympics… and he admits he intends to take the knee if he wins a medal
Adam Gemili intends to take the knee if he wins an Olympic medal in Tokyo — and has warned the International Olympic Committee ‘all hell will break loose’ if they dare to sanction anyone who joins the Black Lives Matter protest at the Games this summer.
The IOC last month upheld their hugely controversial Rule 50, which prevents athletes from demonstrating on the podium, the field of play or at the opening and closing ceremonies. But Team GB sprinter Gemili slammed the IOC’s ‘ridiculous’ stance.
He said: ‘The IOC are so quick to use Tommie Smith, the picture of him with his fist raised, but they are saying, “Actually, no one is allowed to do that”.
Adam Gemili intends to take the knee if he finishes on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics
‘It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think you can ban an athlete for protesting and if they do, all hell would break loose and it could go sour very quickly. They will be very naive to even try to do that.
‘What the IOC said is ridiculous. I find it astonishing that they can be OK with the stance. I find it quite astounding they’re telling people they’re going to ban them from Olympics or medals or whatever.
‘The Olympics is not a place to be political, it’s a place for sport and to bring the whole world together — but the whole BLM movement is more than political.
‘It’s about being a good human and equal rights for everyone is not something which should be turned away so easily.
‘I still don’t know what the repercussions would be but the BOA have been very supportive and I don’t think they will protest any athletes who want to use their voices for that movement.’
Team GB sprinter Gemili has emerged as a leading figure in athlete activism in recent years
Gemili, who finished fourth in the 200m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has emerged as a leading figure in athlete activism over the past two years.
The 2017 world relay gold medallist insisted he would not hesitate to protest in support of BLM if he makes the podium in Tokyo.
He said: ‘I would be happy to take a knee. I would definitely protest because it’s a place where you should be allowed to express your opinion.’
The IOC’s ban on protests was upheld after a survey of 3,547 athletes from 185 countries found 70 per cent believed the field of play and official ceremonies were not an appropriate place for protest.
Gemili, who is running at Sunday’s Diamond League meet in Gateshead, questioned that survey, saying: ‘It was very clear that it wasn’t an accurate representation of athletes from around the world with different colours, races and ethnicities.’