Pan Am Games protesters each get 12 months of probation

By: Eddie Pells, The Associated Press Posted: 5:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 Last Modified: 7:13 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019

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DENVER - The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has handed down 12-month probations to the athletes who protested on the medals stand at the Pan American Games.

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DENVER - The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has handed down 12-month probations to the athletes who protested on the medals stand at the Pan American Games.

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This article was published 20/08/2019 (2261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DENVER – The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has handed down 12-month probations to the athletes who protested on the medals stand at the Pan American Games.

In letters of reprimand sent Tuesday to hammer thrower Gwen Berry and fencer Race Imboden, copies of which were obtained by The Associated Press, USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said that while she respected their perspective, “I disagree with the moment and manner in which you chose to express your view.”

Berry raised her fist on the podium, while Imboden took a knee. U.S. athletes sign forms in which they agree to adhere to rules that forbid acts of political protest at international events such as the Pan Am Games and Olympics.

FILE - In this Sunday, May 21, 2017 file photo, Gwen Berry of the United States competes in the women's hammer throw at the Golden Grand Prix track and field event in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. The CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee sent letters of reprimand to hammer thrower Gwen Berry and fencer Race Imboden for protesting on the medals stand last week at the Pan American Games, but the 12-month probations that came with the letters also included a none-too-subtle signal for anyone vying for next year's Olympics. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

The athletes protested on the last weekend of action at the Pan Am Games. Neither was sanctioned while there. Both will be eligible for the Olympics next summer.

But in the letter, Hirshland said “going forward, issuing a reprimand to other athletes in a similar instance is insufficient.”