IOC say no, NZOC say go
One day after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came out with a hard-nosed stance on Black Lives Matter protests, the NZOC has reiterated the rights of its own athletes.
On Wednesday the IOC – which organises the Olympic Games – said athletes at the Tokyo Olympics who knelt on the podium would be banned. It was a blunt statement, and one at odds with other sports bodies and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As a member body, the NZOC was implicated as being in agreement.
Yesterday, the IOC reversed at a pace Usain Bolt would be proud of, while NZOC issued a carefully worded statement. New Zealand athletes could protest in Tokyo, but not in the Olympic Stadium.
However, while the Olympic Charter that guides the Olympic movement provides the basis for inclusivity, the NZOC said protests in the Olympic Stadium were not supported, ‘‘as so many athletes from so many different backgrounds with different viewpoints take part’’.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights allows for freedom and expression of thought unless otherwise ‘‘prescribed by law’’. As such, it could be argued the initial IOC move was against the law, and at odds with international human rights.
It was also out of step with Fifa – which governs football – the NFL and other sports, who have allowed kneeling as a form of peaceful protest.
Yesterday, the IOC stepped back against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has seen athletes take the knee to protest the death of Floyd George, and others.
IOC president Thomas Bach instead opted to consult athletes, and to support ‘‘principles enshrined in the Olympic charter’’.
On the same day the NZOC upheld the right of its own athletes to protest, a right legally enshrined in the New Zealand Bill of Rights. In the past the NZOC has supported transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard and been outspoken about women’s sport and its media coverage.
Article 14 of that bill states ‘‘everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form’’.
The NZOC did not answer questions put to it by Stuff around whether it had supported the initial IOC stance, or had raised any concerns with the body over its ban on kneeling, and punishment for it.
NZOC issued a statement after a board meeting on Black Lives Matter saying that it ‘‘supports the right of athletes to protest, or share their views more generally, in support of human rights’’.
‘‘We fully support athletes using their platforms for good at the Olympic Games. Within current rules they can currently share their views via social media or the mainstream media,’’ it said.
NZOC’s perspective would be made clear via its Athletes Commission chaired by Sarah Cowley Ross and its IOC member (former BMX rider Sarah Walker).
President Mike Stanley said sport unites people from all around the world and from all walks of life.
David Rutherford, a special advisor for the Geneva-based Centre for Sport and Human Rights, told Stuff International Human Rights was now central to sport.
Major sports organisations were having to adapt, the former Human Rights Commissioner and New Zealand rugby chief executive told Stuff.
‘‘Sport around the world have all been affected by Black Lives Matter, and it has caused a real rethinking,’’ he said. Both the centre and athletes had been raising the human rights issue.
The centre was set up by an ‘‘unlikely alliance’’ of organisations and companies, to try to ensure sport complied with human rights.
‘‘Most sports in New Zealand have taken a fairly sensible view on player expression for a long time. Governance and delivery by sports bodies should at all times be governed by human rights.’’
‘‘Sport around the world have all been affected by Black Lives Matter, and it has caused a real rethinking.’’ Dave Rutherford