John Carlos, left, and Tommie Smith pose for a photo in front of a statue that honors their iconic, black-gloved protest at the 1968 Olympic Games on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, California, in October 2018. (AP file photo)
Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Gwen Berry are among the more than 150 athletes, educators and activists who signed a letter Thursday urging the IOC not to punish participants who demonstrate at the Tokyo Games.
The five-page letter, published on the eve of the Olympics, asks the IOC not to sanction athletes for kneeling or raising a fist, the way Smith and Carlos did at the 1968 Mexico City Games.