Olympic Athletes Who Kneel, Raise Fist Will Face Punishment: IOC Athletes who try protesting by kneeling or raising a fist at official Olympic sites will face punitive measures, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this week. The Olympic Charter already says that any kind of demonstration or political, religious, or racial propaganda is barred in any Olympic sites, venues, or other areas. But athletes from America and other countries began kneeling protests in recent years, inspired by sports players in the United States. The IOC Athletes’ Commission examined the matter and found that roughly seven out of 10 athletes of nearly 3,500 polled feel it is not appropriate to demonstrate at Olympic events.