Jimu News trainee reporter Sun Zhe
According to CNN, on June 26, local time, there was a controversial scene at the Tokyo Olympic Athletics Qualifiers held in Eugene, Oregon, USA: Gwen Berry, a 31-year-old female chainball player, refused to face the flag when the U.S. national anthem was played.
Image source: CNN
In this Olympic qualifier, Berry qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games with a third place. When the national anthem, "The Starry Flag," was played at the awards ceremony, Berry turned her back on the flag and faced the stands, holding up a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "radical athlete" above her head.
According to ESPN, Berry said: "Obviously said that the national anthem would be played before we left, and as a result, before we reached the podium, the national anthem sounded." ”
"I even thought they were deliberate, and to be honest, I was really annoyed." Berry said.
But according to Reuters, the American Athletics Association (USATF) said when the national anthem will be played is based on a pre-set schedule.
Susan Hazard, a spokeswoman for the American Athletics Association, said: "At the award ceremony for the women's chainball competition, we played the national anthem before the athletes took the podium. We are particularly excited at the thought of them coming out of the competition and about to represent their country at the Olympics. ”
Berry also wrote on Twitter that comments on social media were enough to show that even after the George Floyd case, statements about black lives were a hoax.
In 2019, Berry was sentenced to 12 months of probation for raising his fist in protest on the podium of the 18th Pan American Games and lost a lot of sponsorship. Being cut off from his financial resources was almost a devastating blow to Berry. This, she said, highlights the injustices of American society.
On April 21 this year, the International Olympic Committee decided that Article 50 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political, religious and racial propaganda at award ceremonies and competition venues, will also apply to this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games.
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