To protest the treatment of African American citizens of the United States and to protest bigotry. Click on the 'Black Power Salute' link below to read about it and see a picture of Smith and Carlos on the podium doing the salute.
200m dash
Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
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Tommie Moe
At the 1968 Summer Olympic games in Mexico City, Mexico, gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos were suspended from the US team and expelled from the Olympic village following a political protest during the men's 200 m race medals ceremony. During the national anthem, Smith and Carlos raised their fists as a Black Power salute. They were shoeless but wearing black socks, representing black poverty. Smith's black scarf represented black pride, and Carlos' unzipped jacket represented solidarity with blue collar workers. Carlos also wore a string of beads, which he said "were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed and that no-one said a prayer for, that were hung and tarred. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the middle passage." Silver medalist Peter Norman of Australia wore a Olympic Project for Human Rights badge in support of Smith and Carlos and was subsequently not chosen for the 1972 Olympic Games. Avery Brundage, president of the International Olympic Committee, believed that the protest was not in the spirit of the Olympic Games. An IOC spokesman said it was "a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit". Smith and Carlos were ostracized from the sports community and subjected to criticism and death threats.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
Yes, they are Tommie Smith and John Carlos who raised their fists after winning medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City
200m dash
Tommie Smith (gold) and John Carlos (bronze)
They were gold medallist Tommie Smith (b. 1944) and bronze medallist John Carlos (b. 1945).
Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
tommie smith won the 1968 Olympics
During the medal ceremony for the men's 200m, Tommie Smith (gold medallist) and John Carlos (bronze) gave the infamous 'black power' salute for civil rights, while Australian, Peter Norman (silver medallist) wore a civil rights badge.*None of the men were stripped of the medals but Tommie Smith and Juan Carlos were asked by the IOC to leave the games immediately and banned for life for using the Olympics as a platform for politics, meanwhile Peter Norman qualified for the 1972 Olympics but the AOC barred any of their sprinters from participating at those Olympics, a first.
No, after a press conference with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Tommie Smith And John Carlos refused to return them.
A few notable names are Jim Hines, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Dick Fosbury, and Bob Beamon.
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Maybe you mean Australian sprinter Peter Norman who was on the medal podium with Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos when they gave the infamous Black Power salute during the national anthem at the ceremony for the 200 meter dash medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City (Norman won silver). Norman wore a human rights badge for the Olympic Project for Human Rights in support of their protest. He was reprimanded by the Australian Olympic Committee. Over the years Norman became very good friends with Smith and Carlos. At Norman's funeral in 2006, both Smith and Carlos were pallbearers.