Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter - Where do we stand?

Note: this blog post is intended as legal information only, and not legal advice. If you have further questions, please contact sportssolution@athletescan.com. 


To be an athlete today is to be a public figure, whose voice will inspire change. History provides us with some examples of athletes bravely taking a public stand to voice their displeasure of current issues. The Olympics are no stranger to public demonstrations. Professional athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raised their fists on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, for which they were both subsequently expelled from the competition.[1] Colin Kaepernick and the Los Angeles Clippers have used their public forum to voice their displeasure with a state of affairs. Athletes are role models and heroes in today’s society. We are in a new era of athlete activism. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been hesitant to allow athletes to speak freely without limitation and has not yet fully adapted to the changing needs of athletes to speak freely.


Regulations surrounding an athlete's ability to protest and make demonstrations are housed in Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter. Rule 50 provides a framework to protect the neutrality of sport and the Olympic Games. It states that “[n]o kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”[2]


Given that we've clearly entered a new era of athlete activism, some had hoped the IOC would drop Rule 50 and allow athletes full freedom to express themselves at this summer's 2021 Tokyo Olympics. However, a clear majority of athletes still agreed that it was not appropriate for athletes to openly protest in three main locations: during the opening ceremony, on the field of play, and on the podium.[3]


The IOC instead put out a report in April 2021 that made some adjustments to the rigid requirements outlined in Rule 50.  The biggest adjustment among those made is that athletes are now allowed to engage in a "moment of solidarity against discrimination" during the opening ceremony, and to wear clothing with words like peace, respect, solidarity, inclusion, and equality that express fundamental Olympic "values".[4] The responses published by the IOC preferred a unified moment of expression at the Opening Ceremony, as well as creating a specific space in the Olympic Village for athletes to express themselves.[5] Athletes will also be able to use their apparel, the athlete mural, and social media as a platform for expression.


Despite these changes, Rule 50 still provides for very limited expression of athletes in specified Olympic venues. The rule seeks to protect the political and religious neutrality that the Olympic Games continue to strive to preserve. The alternative would be for the IOC to distinguish between the importance of causes, which it does not appear to be prepared to do. For that reason, the IOC’s preference is to maintain a blanket policy of neutrality.[6]


So, what does this mean for Canada’s Olympic Athletes? Athletes are not allowed to protest, but they are allowed to partake in a moment of solidarity at the Opening Ceremony, as well as advocate for their views in the designated areas and mediums approved by the IOC. Athletes can use their platform to inspire change, but this platform is limited by the IOC’s decision to remain faithful to Rule 50. At least for the time being, the IOC has elected to remain neutral, in line with the traditional spirit of the Olympic games. Given that we are in the age of athlete activism, the door is certainly not shut on making future changes to Rule 50. For now, the recent amendments to Rule 50 ahead of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games are a step in the right direction.



By: Rheanna Geisel, Hannah Dobie & Isaac Papsin
Program Managers, Sport Solution Clinic

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[1] Jesse Campigotto, “The Olympics' Rule 50 debate isn't over” https://www.cbc.ca/sports/the-buzzer-newsletter-olympics-rule-50-debate-1.5998651



[4] Supra note 1. 

[5] Ibid. 

[6]  “IOC Athletes’ Commission’s recommendations on Rule 50 and Athlete Expression at the Olympic Games fully endorsed by the IOC Executive Board” https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-athletes-commission-s-recommendations-on-rule-50-and-athlete-expression-at-the-olympic-games.

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