The 2026 Winter Olympics, despite being a successful event, have had a lot of drama. From alleged cheating in curling to a public cheating confession after winning bronze, it has been an intense season. To add on, we have seen the International Olympic Committee (IOC) be very strict with uniform and equipment cosmetics, specifically Rule 50. Rule 50 states that the IOC and the Olympics must remain politically neutral. This, however, limits how competitors represent themselves, others, and the country they are playing for.

The first time Rule 50 was publicly invoked was against the Haitian national team. The IOC requested that they remove a key figure from their history (Toussaint Louverture, a revolutionary and a founding father of Haiti) from their uniform due to this rule. The team complied and painted over Toussaint Louverture, but still left his horse to maintain the original spirit of the uniform. This, however, removes a key part of Haiti’s history and their cultural identity, all because of the IOC’s political neutrality despite Haiti just representing themselves and their people.

 This also happened to a Ukrainian skeleton competitor, who wore photos of athletes and coaches who have passed because of the war in Ukraine. The IOC said it was too politicized and requested that he remove the photos while offering the option to wear a black armband instead. He refused the armband and was then disqualified for not complying.

Both of these instances limit how these teams and players represent themselves, which, in these modern times, is seen as a group being underrepresented. Despite Rule 50 trying to keep political neutrality, it, at the same time, makes it very difficult for competitors and teams to be able to have uniforms or gear that represent them and who they are while still having qualities that the IOC deems as politically neutral.