(CNN) Five decades after he stood in solidarity with US athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos as they made their iconic black power protest at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, late Australian sprinter Peter Norman's support for civil rights has been recognized. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said Saturday they had awarded a posthumous Order of Merit to Peter Norman, whose Australian record for the 200-meter race still stands 50 years later. Norman, who died in 2006, did not compete in another Olympic Games. His family claimed he wasn't selected despite qualifying; however, the AOC denied any suggestions that Norman was ostracized or "blacklisted" for supporting Smith and Carlos' podium protest. "This is an overdue award there is no doubt," said AOC President John Coates.

Source: CNN April 28, 2018 09:22 UTC