Smith and Carlos paid a high price for their protest, not only with the Olympic Committee but also in the court of public opinion. "It was against the charter of the Olympic Committee to make a political statement at the victory podium," Carlos said in a phone interview. They were suspended from the US Olympic team and sent back to the United States. It was widely interpreted as a black power salute but the athletes later described it as a "human rights salute." The US Olympic Committee did not return calls requesting comment.

Source: bd News24 September 25, 2016 22:18 UTC