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LONDON. – Protests by athletes, such as taking a knee, will still be banned at the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee had asked athletes in a survey whether its “Rule 50” – which bans demonstrations – should change.

A total of 3 547 athletes were consulted, with 67% wishing to keep the Olympic podium free of protests and 70% keen to avoid on-field demonstrations.

The IOC said sanctions for those who breach the rule will now be considered.

“Rule 50” of the Olympic charter aims to stop protests and demonstrations in order to “protect the neutrality of sport and the Olympic Games”.

Protests are prohibited on the podium, field of play or at ceremonies.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, a two-time Olympic champion swimmer who chairs the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said: “A very clear majority of athletes said that it’s not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies, or on the podium, and so our recommendation is to preserve (those places) from any kind of protests and demonstrations or acts perceived as such.

“Being an Olympian, the field of play, the ceremonies were very specific and hold very specific memories in my heart.

So if I think about when I was competing I wouldn’t want something to distract and take away from that. That’s how I still feel today.”

Coventry said there were a series of recommendations approved by the IOC’s Executive Board on Wednesday, including providing clarity on sanctions, more information about “Rule 50”, a change of wording of the Olympic Oath with messages on inclusion, and producing athlete apparel with inclusive messaging.

When asked, however, if athletes would be punished in Tokyo for making political statements such as taking a knee on the podium in support of racial equality, Coventry said: “Yes that is correct.”

“That is also because of the majority of athletes we spoke to. That is what they are requesting for,” Coventry added.

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 has not said what consequences athletes may face for protesting, but a “proportionate” range of punishments will be drafted before the games, said Coventry, who represents athletes on the IOC executive board.

Smith and Carlos were both expelled from the 1968 Olympics after their salute.

Upholding “Rule 50” of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits any “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” at the games, puts the IOC at odds with Olympic officials in the United States.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in December they will not take action if athletes raise their fists or kneel during the national anthem at their event trials before Tokyo.

The American Olympic body, which inducted Smith and Carlos into their Hall of Fame in 2019, eased its stance after athletes asked for the right to express themselves on racial and social justice issues.

While the USOPC guidelines allow athletes to wear apparel showing phrases such as “Black Lives Matter,” the language is more limited in the IOC guidance published on Wednesday.

Approved words on T-shirts and elsewhere in Tokyo are “peace, respect, solidarity, inclusion and equality,” the IOC said.

Coventry, a former Olympic swimming champion who is now Sports Minister in Zimbabwe, said the survey and research conducted by the IOC Athletes’ Commission was guided by independent experts on human rights and social sciences.

The IOC research consulted officially recognised athlete panels from national Olympic committees and sports governing bodies — a process that restricted input from activist athletes.

Other concessions agreed on Wednesday include adding references to “inclusion and equality” in the Olympic Oath read at the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 23.

The World Players Association, which brings together 85 000 athletes from 100 player associations across the world, criticised the decision.

“Human rights are not a popularity contest and they must urgently be embedded in the Olympic movement in line with expert recommendations,” said executive director Brendan Schwab.

“Unless and until this occurs the human rights of vulnerable athletes will be at risk.”

Global Athlete, the body led by Olympic champion cyclist Callum Skinner, said the IOC’s approach is “archaic”.

A Global Athlete statement said the decision was a “sign of an outdated sport system that continues to suppress athletes’ fundamental rights”.

“The competitors are humans first, athletes second,” it added.

The Olympics are due to begin on July 23, with the Paralympics set to start on August 24. – BBC Sport