The face and the voice of the Tokyo Olympics could very well be found in Raven Saunders.

Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Gwen Berry are among the more than 150 educators, activists and athletes who signed a letter Thursday urging the IOC not to punish participants who demonstrate at the Tokyo Games.

The simple act of taking a knee felt like something more monumental when it happened on Olympic soccer pitches in Japan on the opening night of action.

Hammer thrower Gwen Berry placed her left hand on her hip and took a quarter-turn so she was facing the stands, not the flag, while the national anthem played.

Brittney Reese made her fourth Olympic team in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 4 3/4 inches to win the event at the U.S. track and field trials.

Gwen Berry raised her fist, thumped it against her chest two times and set off on her quest for an even bigger stage to spread her message.

Emma Coburn is headed to her third Olympics after winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. track trials on Thursday night.

(AP Photo/File)For generations, the IOC knew exactly where to look for key support of its ban against protests at the Olympics. “That becomes a difficult situation,” said Harry Edwards, the activist who helped brainstorm the gestures by Smith and Carlos 52 years ago. American athletes have been reeling from a summer of unrest over police violence against Black people in the United States. The Olympics are a behemoth that counts America as only one of 206 countries who are members. “And what today reflects is that this generation of athletes is more than willing to do their part.”

The decision is a response to a set of recommendations from a USOPC athlete group that seeks changes to the much-maligned Rule 50 of the IOC Olympic Charter, which prohibits inside-the-lines protests at the games. IOC athletes chair Kirsty Coventry said many of those who have provided feedback to her commission "have also recognized the practical question of how to choose between the opinions of hundreds of issues from different angles across the world." The USOPC established a handful of working groups led by athletes who tackled different aspects of social injustice in the Olympic movement and society in general. The USOPC says it won't discipline athletes for “respectful” and “peaceful” demonstrations, and Hirshland said, “I can't imagine that kneeling or raising a fist would be considered" inappropriate. The IOC has sent a survey to athletes across the globe for their opinions on Rule 50 and other issues.

Gwen Berry won a humanitarian award Wednesday for raising social justice issues in the United States — a journey that began in 2019 when she raised her fist on the medals stand at the Pan-Am Games during the national anthem. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee placed Berry on probation for her actions after winning a gold medal in August 2019. Berry was an outspoken skeptic of the USOPC when it took steps to deal with social injustice issues in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing in May. For winning the award, Berry gets $10,000 to distribute to charities of her choice. Carlos and Smith got sent home; the USOPC sent Berry a letter of reprimand.

The IOC earlier this year reiterated its support of the rule that restricts protests inside the lines at the games. But in the aftermath of protests that stemmed from George Floyd's killing in May, the committee said it would consider measures that would allow athletes to make stronger protests. Among the board members signing off on the statement are Allyson Felix, Christian Taylor, Emma Coburn, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Berry was an outspoken critic of the USOPC earlier this year when it made public shows of solidarity with Black athletes, suggesting the USOPC never reached out to her on the issue. The USOPC has formed an athletes' group to look into ways to combat racism, which could include calling for changes in the rule known as Rule 50.

DENVER John Carlos wants to abolish the rule that bans protests at the Olympics. The renowned Olympic protester has written a letter with an influential group of American athletes, calling on the IOC to put in place a new policy done in collaboration with athletes from across the globe. Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists on the medals stand at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to protest racial inequality in the United States. Athletes are working together as a collective because sport leaders have become too complacent." USOPC leaders have said they are trying to expand the conversation about racial injustice, and are open to pressing for changes in Rule 50 the IOC rule that bars protests on the medals stand and other inside-the-line venues at the games.

TOKYO It's been 2 1/2 months since the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IOC executive board meets on Wednesday and will hear a brief presentation from Tokyo organizers on a remote hookup, explaining where things stand. Pierre Ducrey, Olympic Games operations director, said last week that retaining the Olympic Village was problem No. A: No matter where the Olympics are held, or in what city, most Olympic venues look much the same on television. Bach earlier this year warned against using the Tokyo Olympics as a platform for highlighting political and social causes.

I feel like, right now, my body and my mind, it's like Im going to war, Berry told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. To Berry, the statement from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee that the federation stands with those who demand equality was galling. It came less than a year after the USOPC put Berry on a 12-month probation for her gesture at the Pan-Am Games. The episode comes against the backdrop of the IOC statement earlier this year that reiterated rules forbidding the types of protests Berry made. Theyre going to fight until they cant fight anymore.