Do athlete’s have the freedom to speak out?

Strict and confusing guidelines by the Australian Olympic Committee are curtailing athlete's freedom of speech when competing at the Beijing Olympics. The Australian Paralympic Committee is yet to release their official guidelines with only 8 weeks left until competition starts!

"From experience I can say that the Olympics and Paralympics are a unique way of achieving peace, and that our experiences as athletes put us in a position to help speak out and make changes. I believe bad things happen when good people do nothing. We should do all we can to use our voice and help those less fortunate," – Marayke Jonkers, currently on the Paralympic team for her third Paralympics.

As Marayke Jonkers so eloquently stated, we as athletes have a unique opportunity to unite for peace through sport. Not all athletes choose this route, and that is completely ok; but many current and past athletes have chosen it. The problem is, it’s not quite so cut and dry.

Freedom curtailed

Olympic and Paralympic athletes don’t have the complete freedom to share their opinion on human rights abuses in China. For Olympic athletes there are a sea of restrictions and guidelines about what can be said, and how it can be said during the Olympic Games. That in itself can lead athletes to keep quiet in fear that they may face repercussions if they are to speak out.

They can risk having their medals stripped, being sent home, or fined if they do so at the Olympics; and may risk their place on the team if they go against the mould of the Australian Olympic Committee. A mould that has taken a very clear stance that it won’t take a stance on any of the human rights abuses in China. And that leads to a very difficult situation for the athletes who feel inspired to share their opinions.

The only advice I can think to say given the restrictions is: the day the torch is extinguished is the day to speak out freely and without fear of ramifications. Because this campaign for human rights in China doesn’t stop the day the Olympics are over, it continues long beyond.

Vague comments

It also continues long beyond the Paralympics, scheduled to begin in early September. The situation with the Paralympics is even more confusing than the Olympics! The Paralympic Committee has yet to release a statement of their guidelines for athlete’s expression, or make official their position on human rights abuses in China.

Through my experiences at Amnesty International Australia I have been in contact with the Paralympic Committee big wigs for nearly 6 weeks now, and am yet to receive anything concrete. The most I’ve been told to date is a vague comment on the phone that the Paralympic Committee keeps it’s views in line with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but there has been no clarification on this.

I have asked repeatedly for an official release on their position, as the Paralympics are only two months away. As Marayke Jonkers shared through her comments on the SBS Insight Program on June 30, the situation is very confusing, and is leading to more questions that answers.

Socially conscious

In Australia we have athletes who are politically active, and socially conscious. There are many of us, and there always have been. The problem is, many are unable to speak out because they don’t want to risk losing the life long dream of an Olympic experience because they shared their opinion. Nor should they have that risk.

To quote Lisa Forrest: "Athletes are the meat in the sandwich yet again." They don’t have the freedoms to speak out and make a difference, yet they are in a unique role to do exactly that! Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental human right, but to be an Olympian at these upcoming Beijing Olympics means choosing between that human right, and the childhood dream.

I completely understand the dilemma, and support 100% that no athlete should have to give up their dreams of Olympism. They can always speak out once the torch is extinguished. My beef is with the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The former is restricting freedoms, the latter is unable to even offer their stance; leading to confusion and uncertainty. We live in a democracy, we should be able to express our opinions freely without worrying that our livelihood and experiences will be restricted because of it.

Freedom to speak

The Olympics and Paralympics are a beautiful representation of unity, achievement, determination, humanity, and freedom. They are, to the athletes, about sport. I agree that during those few weeks of the Olympics and Paralympics the focus should be on the inspiring achievements of the athletes; their sportsmanship, their unity, and their dreams. But for those athletes who do wish to give voice to their opinions during the Games, they should have the freedom to do that also.

I support our athletes in their endeavors, whatever they should choose. I for one will be watching the Olympics for exactly that reason. The athletes didn’t choose this, nor should the be the meat in the sandwich, they should be allowed a beautiful experience as a reward for their many years of hard work and determination.

Michelle Engelsman

Amnesty International Activist, Team Darfur Member, Australian Olympian