Adam Gemili has warned that “all hell would break loose” if Olympic chiefs try to ban an athlete from staging a podium protest in Tokyo.
Britain’s sprint star is raging with the IOC’s decision to enforce Rule 50, which bans protests on the podium, field of play or at ceremonies.
They claim they are just enforcing the will of the majority of athletes from 185 countries who were polled on the matter.
Gemili said: "This is what I don't understand, the IOC are so quick to use Tommie Smith, the picture of him fist raised [at the 1968 Mexico Olympics] , but they are saying 'actually, no one is allowed to do that'.
"It doesn't make sense to me. I don't think you can ban an athlete for protesting and if they do all hell would break loose and it could go south and sour very quickly. They will be very naïve to even try to do that.”
He added: ”The Olympics is not a place to be political, it's a place for sport and to bring the whole world together but the whole BLM movement is more than political.
“It's about being a good human and equal rights for everyone is not something which should be turned away so easily like they're doing.”
Gemili, who starts his season in Gateshead on Sunday, argues that the poll “wasn't an accurate representation of athletes from all around the world with different colours, races and ethnicities."
He added: “They tried to say athletes don’t want it, but that’s not the picture I’ve got from speaking to athletes. I would be happy to take a knee.
“The fact the IOC is telling them no, you can't do it, is only going to make people more angry. For me, if the opportunity came, I wouldn't shy away from that."
