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What was Tommie Smith protesting?

What was Tommie Smith protesting?

The actions of Smith and Carlos, who finished first and third in the 200-meter final, were designed to call attention to the poverty and the systemic racism Black Americans were subject to in 1968.

Who is Olympian Tommie Smith?

Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track & field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially.

Who hosted the 1972 Olympics?

Munich
1972 Summer Olympics

Host city Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
Motto The Cheerful Games (German: Heitere Spiele)
Nations 121
Athletes 7,134 (6,075 men, 1,059 women)
Events 195 in 21 sports (28 disciplines)

Who were the two American athletes who protested at the Mexico Olympics?

During their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, two African-American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

Who won the Olympics in 1968?

At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 36 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 12 for women….Men.

Games 200 metres
Gold Tommie Smith United States
Silver Peter Norman Australia
Bronze John Carlos United States
20.10

Did Tommie Smith have kids?

Went back to resume his studies at San Jose State. Smith was married to Denise and they had a 6-month-old son, Kevin. That’s when he started to protect himself and his family.

Who hosted the 1976 Olympics?

Montreal
1976 Summer Olympics

Host city Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Events 198 in 21 sports (27 disciplines)
Opening July 17
Closing August 1
Opened by Queen Elizabeth II

Who won the 1972 Munich Olympics?

swimmer Mark Spitz
American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven events, breaking the record for most gold medals by a single athlete in a single Olympic Games….1972 Summer Olympics medal table.

1972 Summer Olympics medals
Location Munich, West Germany
Highlights
Most gold medals Soviet Union (50)
Most total medals Soviet Union (99)

Why was there a protest at the 1968 Olympics?

During the 1968 Olympic Games on Mexico City, several of the U.S. athletes silently protested the continued lack of civil rights for African Americans in America. While their protest caused a strong social and cultural backlash, it brought further awareness to the civil injustices black people were facing in

Who are the black athletes at the 1968 Olympics?

It’s an iconic image: Two athletes raise their fists on the Olympic podium. The photograph, taken after the 200 meter race at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, turned African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos from track-and-field stars into the center…

Who was the man who raised his fist at the 1968 Olympics?

The man who raised a black power salute at the 1968 Olympic Games. When John Carlos raised his fist in a black power salute at the 1968 Olympics, it changed 20th-century history – and his own life – for ever.

Why did black athletes boycott the Olympic Games?

Professor Edwards set up the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) and appealed to all black American athletes to boycott the games to demonstrate to the world that the civil rights movement in the US had not gone far enough. He told black Americans they should refuse “to be utilised as ‘performing animals’ in…