The survey of Olympians and Tokyo 2020 aspirants found the majority believe that under some circumstances, athletes should be able to express themselves at the Olympic Games.

However, most of those supporting freedom of expression were also concerned that any expression should not impact on other athletes’ performances or overall experience at the Games.

More than 80% of all respondents said a protest on the field of play would detract from the performance or experience of athletes.

The survey indicated that some 39.91% believe in self-expression depending on the circumstances, 19.16% believe in self-expression in any circumstances while 40.93% felt the Games were not a place for athletes to publicly express views.

AOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Steve Hooker OAM said the survey was prompted by an IOC Athletes’ Commission initiative to explore the different ways of how athletes can express their support for the principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter.

“Non-discrimination is one of the pillars of the Olympic movement. We were interested in the balance between our athletes’ views on freedom of expression and their obligations to respect the rights of others.

“That obligation is captured in the Athletes’ Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities and is reflected in the IOC’s Rule 50.2 which specifically states - “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

Mr Hooker said there was a clear trend that showed a higher proportion of present-day athletes believe that the Games are a platform for self-expression when compared with Olympians from earlier eras.

“While just over 40% of athletes more broadly felt there was no place for self-expression or protest at the Games, if you look at athletes from the 2010’s, that figure of those against falls away to just 19 percent.

“Nevertheless, the majority that younger group felt opportunities in social media and media conferences were preferable to protest on the field of play or Olympic podium.

“We have made a number of recommendations around supporting those alternative options. There is a minority who have expressed strong views about the right to protest on the field of play or podium, so we have also recommended consideration be given about how an athlete can receive guidance, counselling and support if they do breach the IOC’s Rule 50.2.

The AOC Athletes’ Commission Chair also outlined work the Commission is doing in conjunction with the AOC Indigenous Advisory Committee to boost the awareness of Olympians on Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures and experiences in Australia.

“Together we will conduct a forum during NAIDOC Week this year for Olympians as an important first step in educating Olympians on Australia’s Indigenous history.

“There have been 52 proud Indigenous Olympians in Australia’s long history at the Olympic Games and we will be drawing on their stories and experiences as we take this project forward,” Mr Hooker concluded.