Is it morally/philosophically right for an athlete to wear a protest ribbon during the Olympics?

Question

I heard some athletes are going to wear purple ribbon, armbands etc in protest of the persecution of the Christians and House Churches in China and/or orange ones to protest the occupation of Tibet.

I asked on the Olympic section and was told it was morally wrong. Do you agree?

Bai

Answer 1

They can do whatever they want..  its a ribbon or a band..its not hurting anyone.

Answer 2

I think everyone has the right to their own opinion and if they want to show it good for them. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in and just becuase they are athletes shouldn't mean they have to keep it to them selves if they feel that strongly about it.  

Answer 3

I think it's fine. I mean, if they believe in something, they should be able to show it.  

Answer 4

It is their body, and may use it to express their political views however they deem appropriate!

Answer 5

I think they should be able to do it.  Freedom of speech should be a fundamental right available to everyone.  It's a natural human desire to be able to speak one's mind.

And perhaps some day the Chinese government will learn that allowing freedom of speech in the long run will let them have a more stable, more advanced society.

Answer 6

I would think that they are right. If the athletes disagree strongly with something they have the right to express it. In fact I can't see how anyone could see this as wrong...

Answer 7

This answer is against the tide, but I regret the politicisation of the games.  I believe that countries should not boycot the games to protest the host country's behavior: it is unfair to the competitors who have trained so hard and who may never get another chance and it's just a cheap way for politicians to make a point instead of doing the hard work of diplomacy,  It follows that I think all uses of the games as a means of political protest, even so trivial a one as competitors wearing symbols, are unfortunate, and competitors are working against their own and the games' best interests when they do this.  Maybe we should choose a neutral country, say Switzerland, to be the Games permanent home.

Answer 8

Let me get this straight... its wrong to wear a ribbon? Haha no. Not to mention that purple is like not offensive at all. Nor is orange.

Answer 9

No, I believe that it is their right to wear the protest ribbons. What is happening in China and Tibet is not okay and it's a violation of human rights. I believe that everyone attending and even those who aren't should wear those bands because it's displaying their displeasure without harming anyone or anything. They aren't even affecting the Olympic Games, just protesting the host country's actions and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's especially good for an athlete to do this because they will get attention and drag these issues more into the spotlight, which must happen if anything is ever going to change.