Chinese gold medalists could be in trouble with IOC for wearing Mao pins

Add two Chinese gold medalists to the list of those athletes who may have run afoul of the IOC’s Rule 50 governing political statement on the podium.

Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi wore pins featuring the head of China’s former leader Mao Zedong during the medal ceremony after they won gold in the women’s team sprint in track cycling on Monday.

“We’ve contacted the Chinese Olympic Committee, asked them for a report about the situation and we are looking into the matter,” IOC Spokesman Mark Adams said on Tuesday.

Wearing a Mao pin could be a breach of Rule 50, which states “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

Earlier this year, after extensive input from athletes, the IOC came out with new Rule 50 guidelines that allowed for more freedoms for athletes to express themselves but the field of play and podium remained off limits.

The IOC relaxed Rule 50 prior to the start of Tokyo 2020, allowing athletes to make gestures like taking a knee as long as it was before the start of the competition and not on the podium.

The IOC is already looking into the case of women’s shotput silver medalist Raven Saunders of the United States, who raised her hands and crossed them in an X while posing for photos on the podium.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which has previously said it would not sanction athletes who demonstrated on the podium, said in a statement on Monday that it had “conducted its own review and determined that Raven Saunders’ peaceful expression in support of racial and social justice that happened at the conclusion of the ceremony was respectful of her competitors and did not violate our rules related to demonstration.”

The USOPC added “As with all delegations, Team USA is governed by the Olympic Charter and rules set forth by the IOC for Tokyo 2020.”

Adams echoed that point in his comments on Tuesday, saying that the IOC had written to the USOPC “asking for some further information to evaluate the next steps, if any, that should be taken.

“Obviously, the Games are held under the Olympic Charter and the rules of the Olympic Movement. So let’s wait and see what clarification we get from USOPC,” Adams said.

The IOC on Monday said that an issue surrounding comments made by Cuban boxer Julio César la Cruz from the ring after his win over Spain’s Emmanuel Reyes Plá on Friday had been resolved after talks with the Cuban team.

La Cruz had launched a fiery political proclamation of support for the Cuban regime.

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