Chinese gold medallists are under investigation by the International Olympic Committee for wearing badges depicting a controversial communist ruler.
Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi, who won gold in the women’s team sprint track cycling, wore the badges which could be a potential breach of Olympic rules on the display of political paraphernalia.
The IOC does not allow politics on the medal podium but recently relaxed the rules to allow athletes to take a knee.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said they were “looking into the matter”.
The badges feature the image of Mao Zedong, who is more commonly known as Chairman Mao.
He was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party until his death in 1976.
Mao seized power in 1949 and claimed China had fallen behind the world due to the oppression of foreign countries. At the time he warned…
