50 years later, sprinter Matthews welcomed back to Olympics

By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer

The International Olympic Committee says it will allow American gold-medal sprinter Vince Matthews back at the games more than 50 years after banning him for his low-key racial injustice protest at the Munich Olympics. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee was copied in on a letter from the IOC, which said it would allow the 75-year-old Matthews to attend future Olympics. Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland called the move a “long time coming.” The Americans Matthews and Wayne Collett, both Black men, protested during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” in 1972 after placing first and second in the 400-meter sprint. Collett died in 2010.