Raven Saunders’ ‘X’ Protest Gesture Did Not Violate Rules, Says USOPC

Team USA shot-putter Raven Saunders sparked controversy by highlighting “oppression” during her protest on the Olympic podium. Now, USOC has ruled that Saunders did not violate rules against making political statements and acted as a “respectful” athlete.

Saunders, who had just won the silver medal in the shot putting, finished with a distance of 19.79 meters. After her near victory, she conducted an interview with NBC News, and shared the reason she raised her hands into an “X.” She wanted to show the intersection where all people who are oppressed meet. Saunders also said that she “wants to be a role model” for people who are black and openly gay. “For me, just being who I always aspired to be, to be able to be me and not apologize for it [and] show the younger generation that no matter what they tell you, no matter how many boxes they try to fit you in, you can be you,” Saunders said.

This is far from the first time the Olympic platform has been utilized to voice concerns on racial and social injustices in the country, as both past and current Olympians have made similar protests. The well-known image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics is one of the first that comes to mind. With every protest comes heavy scrutiny, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is now reviewing the matter. Spokesperson Mark Adams, gave this statement: “We try to respect the views of all the athletes; we’ve given them more opportunity to express themselves. Freedom of expression in press conferences, social media, mixed zone. We’ve created possibilities before the sport begins to make protests. But one thing we have noted is we did a survey with 3,500 athletes [and] all those who answered wanted to protect the field of play. It would be good if everyone could respect the views of athletes.”

In response to the criticism received after her gesture, Saunders, who battled depression prior to the games, tweeted: “Let them try and take this medal. I’m running across the border even though I can’t swim.”