
Olympic greats call on IOC to allow podium protests
CNN
Over 150 athletes, sports organizations, human rights and social justice experts have signed an open letter calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow athletes the "fundamental human right" to protest, including at the podium.
As the Tokyo Games open, the signatories -- including US hammer thrower Gwen Berry as well as 1968 medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who famously raised gloved fists on the podium -- have urged the IOC to "refrain" from sanctioning athletes who demonstrate. The letter calls for the removal of the IOC's Rule 50 ban, which prohibits athletes from protesting at Olympic sites.
The alleged drug traffickers killed by the US military in a strike on September 2 were heading to link up with another, larger vessel that was bound for Suriname — a small South American country east of Venezuela – the admiral who oversaw the operation told lawmakers on Thursday according to two sources with direct knowledge of his remarks.

The two men killed as they floated holding onto their capsized boat in a secondary strike against a suspected drug vessel in early September did not appear to have radio or other communications devices, the top military official overseeing the strike told lawmakers on Thursday, according to two sources with direct knowledge of his congressional briefings.











