Tommie Smith: 'Politics has always been a part of the Olympics'

14 editions of the Olympics later and your gesture is still known, not just in sports history, but in history as a whole. Ever imagine that it was going to have such an impact? You know, truthfully, I did not because I really didn't do that for the sensation of being important, only the truth. That's what made make me feel that it will never grow old because people always need a little taste of love and effect. Although the victory stand in Mexico City to most people doesn't recognize the love or what that love, how effective that love is because it was done on a stand where people thought that politics has nothing to do with the Olympic Games. And that's where a lot of people are wrong. The wrong politics does, which is a lie that politics doesn't. It doesn't rule the Olympic Game, but it is a part that makes the Olympic Games strong. It's political attitudes. Do do you think that that's some things for the Olympic Games should be a place where athletes can take a stand to make a political statement? You know, the athletes to do what they think is necessary. So I really can't speak for the athletes, only what Tommy Smith did and why it was important for it to be finished. The great athletes now have different things in mind, a different direction that they can go because of the financial push that the Olympic Games has for everybody who competes. Back in the day there was none. So we did what the the necessary part of life ruled us to do is to tell the truth if we had a chance, perhaps. Can you give us an idea of what it, what the atmosphere was like for a African American athlete at the time or just quite simply a non white athlete in the US? What was the atmosphere like? Well, that's the racist the genders of of of 1968. The the racist indications, not only by some of the athletes of some of the parts of the world, but by our commissioner, the I say our boss, who to the president of the International Olympic Games made threats on the the black athletes of America that if anyone take parts in anything, they will be kicked out at home because the athletes, the Olympic Games are not meant for the field of politics. But without politics, how could we have an Olympic game? I just think that the this message of Tommy Smith on the victory stand pointed this out directly because he did what he wasn't supposed to do to make an effort for people to understand the need for others to understand the the biopsy, the biopsy or triopsy of the athletes who are competing. We are humans. We need to be heard not only on the victory stand, but around the world as patriots of an economy. So no regrets, perhaps, maybe just about celebrating a little bit fast. You're 200 meter win there. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. I was waiting for the celebration and it's too bad that I had to celebrate the way I did to make a make a point. But I'm not going to ask any athlete that's competing now to do what Tommy Smith did or even come near it. They have to make their own commentaries of how they feel about the Olympic Games and how they feel about the politics of the Olympic game. Athletics is probably one of the biggest contributors to the thought process of the human being. Is togetherness. What other? What other entity called life is more important to Olympic Games at war Now? Which would you rather have, the Olympic Games or war? Trying to protect the idiotic, idiotic ideas of those who put the games on. We can certainly see, of course, the the whole path that it took for your life and what happened afterwards and for you to be here today and the way that you're spewed today, certainly a huge just such a journey that it's been for you since I praise God that I'm here and did what I did. All right, well, thank you very much for your time today. You're welcome. You actually thank you. Enjoy the enjoy the games and good luck to the United States. Thank you. Thank you.