Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the two African-American athletes sent home from the 1968 Olympic Games for their raised-fist protest on the medal podium, will receive a long-awaited moment of redemption at a US team event at the White House this week.
The two were invited by the US Olympic Committee to attend a gala dinner on Wednesday in Washington, honouring the 2016 Olympic team and accompany the team to meet President Barack Obama at the White House the following day, Mr Carlos said.
US athletes Tommie Smith, centre, and John Carlos, right, raise their gloved fists to express their opposition to racism in the US. Photo: AFP
The image of Mr Smith and Mr Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200m track event in Mexico City, thrusting their black-gloved fists into the air, has become an enduring symbol of the fight for racial equality.
Their example has surfaced repeatedly in past weeks as an inspiration to African-American National Football League and college players protesting racial injustice after the fatal shootings of several black men by police.
The pair paid a high price for their protest, not only with the Olympic Committee but also in the court of public opinion.
"It was against the charter of the Olympic Committee to make a political statement at the victory podium," Mr Carlos said in a phone interview. "But we felt it was the only place we could make the statement at that time."
Standing in black socks, the two men bowed their heads and pushed their fists into the air as the US anthem played, shocking the world and many Americans reeling from a turbulent year in the fight for civil rights. They were suspended from the US Olympic team and sent back to the United States.
It was widely interpreted as a Black Power salute, but the athletes later described it as a "human rights salute".
John Carlos and Tommie Smith accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2008 ESPY Awards. Photo: AFP
Mr Carlos said he did not expect or want an explicit apology from the Olympic Committee for sending him and Mr Smith home, because their actions were in clear violation of policy. However, he said that as time had passed, and their raised-fist salute had become a precedent of sorts, US Olympic officials had a better understanding of the reasons behind their protest.
"Time has gone by to the point where they had to take a look at themselves and say, 'These guys weren't bad guys,'" Mr Carlos said. "'They were courageous enough to make a statement for what they believed in.'"
The US Olympic Committee did not return calls requesting comment. The Associated Press reported on Friday that the committee's CEO, Scott Blackmun, had asked Mr Smith and Mr Carlos to serve as ambassadors, as the federation tries to bring more diversity to its own ranks.
"I think Tommie and John have played an important and positive role in the evolution of our attitudes about diversity and inclusion, not only in the United States but around the world," Mr Blackmun said.
- Reuters
