2 American athletes protested at the Pan American Games. The Olympic committee is not happy.


Two American athletes now face possible discipline after they staged silent protests at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, this weekend.
Fencer Race Imboden took a knee on the medal stand as his U.S. men's foil team celebrated gold on Friday. He said he was "honored" to represent the U.S. at the games, but the country's "multiple shortcomings" concerning racism, gun control, and President Trump, among other things, caused him to sacrifice the moment on the stand.
Meanwhile, hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised a fist during the playing of the Star-Spangled on Saturday after she won her event.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee was not thrilled with the displays. Mark Jones, the organization's vice president of communications, said in a statement to ESPN on Sunday that refraining from political demonstrations is a term of eligibility on the Olympic circuit. "In these cases, the athletes didn't adhere to the commitment they made to the organizing committee and the USOPC," he said. The USOPC is reviewing what consequences may result.
Still, political protests have occurred not infrequently at international sporting events. Perhaps most famously, U.S. track-and-field stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists during the Star-Spangled Banner at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to highlight racial tensions in the United States at the time.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Dianaworld: the 'cultural phenomenon' behind the People's Princess
The Week Recommends 'Very fine' book examines the cultural groups who once admired her, and the legacy she left behind
-
Earth roasts on 'Hot Ones: Climate Edition' | May 15 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Thursday's editorial cartoons feature trickle-down economics, Pope Leo XIV's music choice, MAGA's reaction to the 'woke Pope', Donald Trump's Amazon wishlist, and the job market for 2025 college graduates.
-
Thawing permafrost unleashes toxic legacy of mining
Under the Radar Rising temperatures could release huge levels of toxic materials from sealed-off mines into waterways
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs