A member of the Olympic Committee has been expelled from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris following the subtle display of a disturbing hand gesture.
On Monday, the man was seen on video doing the contentious hand signal during the women’s street skate finals. Some have linked the gesture to a troubling far-right trend.
A man was observed making what looked like an “okay” sign with his fingers spread out and his thumb and index finger making a circle. With his hands down by his sides, he did it twice more. The signal is widely thought of as a symbol of white supremacy.
While Chloe Covell of Australia was competing, and then again while Liz Akama of Japan was in the background, viewers could see the man making the sign.
His intended meaning, however, is not apparent.
An extremely popular emoji, formed by linking his fingers and thumb, is used to express encouragement. On the other hand, there are claims that some far-right groups are increasingly using it to express white superiority covertly. Who this man is remains a mystery.
Supposedly, the man positioned himself so that he could be seen in the live footage that was also shown on the venue’s big screens.
An official from the International Olympic Committee stated that they have identified the individual in issue and can affirm that they are not a member of the OBS team.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) accuses certain users of using the widely used thumbs-up emoji as a “sincere expression of white supremacy.”
According to the US anti-hate group, however, the “overwhelming usage” of the hand gesture in modern times is still to indicate agreement or calmness.
Consequently, particular care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intent behind someone’s use of the gesture.
The organization went on to say that the symbol’s rise to prominence as a “popular trolling tactic” among some “right-leaning individuals” stemmed from its humble origins as an internet joke.
While in court, the man accused of the 2019 worst mass shooting in New Zealand, which occurred at two mosques, made the symbol. The massacre killed 51 people.
