Expert Insight: How Olympic athletes’ freedom of speech is muted

Beyond the Olympic's facade of glitz, glamour and gold there's a glaring and controversial regulation - the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Rule 50 . Rule 50 prohibits athletes from demonstrating during competition or on the podium. Two years ago, IOC member Dick Pound stated that "athletes remain free to express their opinions in press conferences, in media interviews and on social media." But the Athletes Declaration is clear - all Olympians must "comply with applicable national laws." This includes forgoing their right to freedom of speech and expression while in China because of the regime's vague law against "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." With the 2022 Beijing Olympics looming, Pound has been assuring Olympic critics that "there is absolutely nothing wrong with China" as an Olympic host. If Pound's commentary leaves you with an unsettling sense of déjà vu, there's a good reason for that. Addressing 205 national Olympic committees before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, IOC President Jacques Rogge downplayed threats to freedom of speech saying: "A person's ability to express his or her opinion is a basic human right and as such does not need to have a specific clause in the Olympic Charter because its place is implicit." In addition to restrictions imposed by the IOC and China, many active athletes are contractually bound by their Olympic federation's code of ethics to refrain from making " adverse comments " on executive decisions. China's assault on athlete rights.