Olympics: Inspiring Moments

Today the Room 3 class watched snippets of  the documentary 'Salute'. Salute is an  Australian documentary exploring the 1968 Mexico City 200m Medal Ceremony, in which Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their hand in the black power salute. With them on the podium was Australian Peter Norman.
This gesture was in relation to the lack of civil rights for African-American  and caused much controversy. Many thought the Americans were disrespecting the American flag. Peter Norman was also protesting for the civil rights of the Aboriginal people in Australia. 
Tommie Smith ran the fastest 200m and broke the world record.
 In an immediate response to their actions, Smith and Carlos were suspended from the U.S. team by IOC President Brundage and voluntarily moved from the Olympic Village.
Norman, who was sympathetic to his competitors' protest, was reprimanded by his country's Olympic authorities and ostracized by the Australian media. He was not picked for the 1972 Summer Olympics, despite finishing third in his trials. Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at his funeral after his death in 2006.