Restricting athletes' voices: the evolution of Rule 50 and its application at Tokyo 2020 and beyond

James, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-611X (2023) Restricting athletes' voices: the evolution of Rule 50 and its application at Tokyo 2020 and beyond. In: The Routledge Handbook of Mega-Sporting Events and Human Rights. Routledge International Handbooks . Routledge, London, pp. 448-458. ISBN 9781032298924 (hardback); 9781003302551 (ebook)

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Abstract

This chapter analyses the evolution and legality of the restrictions placed on athlete activism by Rule 50(2) of the Olympic Charter. Focusing on the expressions, protests and demonstrations performed by athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, it explains how the lack of clarity of Rule 50, the lack of transparency of its application, and the absence of an underpinning and legally recognised legitimate aim leave it open to legal challenge as an unlawful restriction on athletes’ freedom of expression. It concludes with a call to review the necessity of Rule 50 and proposes a route for the IOC to ensure that athletes’ human rights are fully respected in the future.