ATHLETE PROTESTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED AT OLYMPICS
Athlete protests and political messages will remain banned at the Olympics, the IOC said Wednesday, after a survey found that a majority of competitors were in favor of keeping the ban in place.
That means raising a fist on the podium — like American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously did at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics — or taking a knee would still risk punishment at the Tokyo Games this year.
The IOC said it surveyed more than 3,500 athletes over the past year and that 70 percent said it was “not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views” on the field of play or at the opening or closing ceremony.
The survey also showed 67 percent of respondents disapproved of podium demonstrations.
The IOC has not said what consequences athletes may face for protesting.
Smith and Carlos were both expelled from the 1968 Olympics after their salute.
More Olympics
The United States will open the women’s Olympic soccer tournament on July 21 against Sweden, the team that beat the World Cup champion Americans in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
The two teams were drawn into Group G and will also play Australia and New Zealand at the Tokyo Games. The Oceania neighbors also will play on July 21, two days before the Olympics officially open.
• Olympic organizing committee President Seiko Hashimoto said a decision on venue capacity — or if there will be any fans at all, or just empty venues — may not be made until June. She had previously promised that decision for this month.
Local colleges
SDSU’s Sara Kjellker defeated New Mexico’s Lauren Lehigh on the third playoff hole to capture medalist honors and lead the San Diego State women’s golf team at the Mountain West Championship at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.
As a team, San Diego State couldn’t overcome a hard-charging New Mexico on the final day, settling for second at 23-over 887, four
shots behind the Lobos (19over 883).
San Diego State now awaits a possible bid to the NCAA Regionals, which will be announced next week.
Sports and courts
Aldon Smith turned himself in to authorities in Louisiana after an arrest warrant had been issued for the Seahawks defensive end.
The sheriff ’s office issued the warrant following an incident last weekend. Deputies responding to a call for
medical assistance in Meraux on Saturday found a man who said he had been assaulted by an acquaintance outside a business in Chalmette, Sheriff James Pohlmann said. Detectives identified the suspect as Smith, 31, and took out a warrant.
• Receiver Antonio Brown said through a representative that he had settled a lawsuit brought by his former trainer Britney Taylor, who had accused him of rape and sexual assault.
Tennis
Rafael Nadal needed three sets to beat his 111thranked opponent, Ilya Ivashka, in his first match at the Barcelona Open, while
Fabio Fognini was disqualified for alleged verbal abuse.
Fognini was defaulted while trailing 6-0, 4-4 against qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain, after a line judge told the chair umpire that the ninth-seeded Italian had used foul language.
Fognini denied wrongdoing.
• Anett Kontaveit upset fourth-ranked Sofia Kenin 7-5, 6-4 to reach the Porsche Grand Prix quarterfinals in Stuttgart, Germany.
Motorsports
The Indianapolis 500 is set to be the largest sporting event in the world since the start of the pandemic with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine that 40 percent of venue capacity can attend the May 30 race on Memorial Day weekend. The speedway is the largest sporting facility in the world with more than 250,000 grandstand seats and the ability to host close to 400,000 on race day throughout the entire property.
Also
Andrew Agozzino gave the Gulls a two-goal edge when he scored with two seconds left in the second period and San Diego (21-130-0) went on to defeat host San Jose (12-11-4-2), 6-2, for the second straight night.
• The Atlanta Dream fired President and General Manager Chris Sienko. The Dream won a franchiserecord 23 games in the 2018 regular season and reached the semifinals of the playoffs. Sienko was honored as the league’s Executive of the Year that season. Atlanta has struggled lately, going 1541 over the last two seasons.
• Florida’s Keyontae Johnson is “patiently waiting” on medical clearance while hoping to play next season. Johnson is a junior forward who collapsed on the court in December and spent 10 days in hospitals.