I always believed that being a member of the US Olympic team meant that you were wearing a uniform that represented your country, not yourself. I wore a uniform representing my country for 28 years. I never thought of myself, but of what that uniform represented. More so, making political statements while in uniform was against regulations. Specifically, Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 (DoDD 1344.10), Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, and the spirit and intent of that directive is effectively the same as that of the Hatch Act for Federal civil servants.
It’s my belief that Olympic athletes wearing a uniform be expected to follow similar guidelines. If you’re going to represent your country, your personal activism should be left at home because you’re no longer representing your country, but yourself.
|