Olympics to Finally Give Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos Their Props by Inducting Them Into Hall of Fame

By Dara Sharif, the root.com

Decades before Colin Kaepernick was taking a knee on the football gridiron to protest racial injustice, Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos were raising a fist on the winners’ stand at the 1968 Olympics. Much like Kaepernick, Smith and Carlos were expelled for their actions. Now, it looks like the Olympics is prepared to issue a mea culpa of sorts.

On Nov. 1, a little more than 51 years after the Olympics organization expelled them for their protest against racial oppression, the Olympics will be inducting both Smith and Carlos into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame, NBC Sports reports.

As the Washington Post explains:

Smith and Carlos were responsible for one of the most recognizable moments in Olympic history, raising their fists in protest on the medals podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics. They have both previously been bestowed with a long list of honors, including induction into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Their exclusion from the USOPC’s hall highlighted the thorny relationship the organization has had with the two sprinters for decades. At the 1968 Games in Mexico City, the USOPC — which was known as the U.S. Olympic Committee until changing its name earlier this year — succumbed to pressure and sent the men home following their controversial protest.

Reaction to the perceived outrage was swift, as the Post explains:

That sparked a swirl of activity from Olympic officials. The USOPC initially decided against a suspension, intending to issue a warning to the rest of the American athletes competing in Mexico. The International Olympic Committee demanded a stronger response, though, fearing “that racial dissension might spread to other delegations if USOC refused to suspend Smith and Carlos,” according to a dispatch sent from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City at the time.

Olympics officials expelled Smith and Carlos the day after their protest.

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