Update (August 4, 2021): The International Olympic Committee has halted its investigation into Raven Saunders’ “X” gesture after the track and field athlete took to social media to announce that her mother died. 

The Olympian's mom, Clarissa Saunders, passed away on Tuesday, just days after attending a 2020 Tokyo Olympics watch party in Orlando, Florida to see Raven earn the silver medal in a shot-put competition, as Blavity previously reported. 

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that the committee "extends its condolences to Raven and her family,” The Hill reported. 

“Given these circumstances, the process at the moment is fully suspended,” he continued.

On Tuesday, Raven shared that she would take a break from all social media platforms in order to focus on her mental health, CNN reported.

“My mama was a great woman and will forever live through me,” Raven said.

Earlier this week, the committee announced it would launch an investigation into whether Raven, 25, violated protesting rules by making an “X” gesture during her medal ceremony, as Blavity previously reported.

The shot putter, who is Black and is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said she made an “X” symbol using her arms to honor those who are oppressed and are battling mental health issues.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee defended Raven and wrote a letter to the IOC stating that she didn’t demonstrate during the medals ceremony nor did she demonstrate while one of her competitor’s national anthems played, USA Today reported.

USOPC Spokeswoman Kate Hartman thanked the IOC for suspending its investigation and giving Raven time and space to grieve the loss of her mother.

 “We appreciate the empathy shown toward Raven by the IOC during this difficult time,” Hartman said.

Original (August 2, 2021): Olympic shot putter Raven Saunders took a bold stance for members of both the Black and LGBTQ+ communities who struggle with mental illness and now she's at the center of an investigation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

During Sunday’s medal ceremony, the 25-year-old athlete made an “X” gesture with her arms above her head while she stood on the podium after earning a silver medal in the shot-put competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She said the “X” represented “…the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet,” The Guardian reported. 

Saunders, who is Black and identifies as gay, has battled with her mental health and chose to use her platform to support those like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka who chose to prioritize their mental health over public opinion, as Blavity previously reported.

She said that her generation is choosing mental health over doing what previous generations may have done. 

“At the end of the day, we really don’t care,” Saunders said.

“Shout out to all my black people. Shout out to all my LGBTQ community. Shout out to all my people dealing with mental health. At the end of the day, we understand it’s bigger than us and it’s bigger than the powers that be. We understand that there’s so many people that are looking up to us, that are looking to see if we say something or if we speak up for them,” she continued.

Before the start of 2020 Tokyo Games, the IOC announced Rule 50, which stated athletes were prohibited from any protests and could face sanctions as a result, Reuters reported.

In July, the committee relaxed the rule and only permitted athletes to use gestures on the field as long as the athlete did not disrupt or disrespect other competitors.

During a news conference on Monday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the committee is working with World Athletics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to determine whether Saunders violated Rule 50.

The USOPC, however, said the silver medalist did not break any rules during its own review.

In a statement, the committee said it ”…determined that Raven Saunders' peaceful expression in support of racial and social justice that happened at the conclusion of the ceremony was respectful of her competitors and did not violate our rules related to demonstration."

On Sunday, Saunders responded to the investigation through a tweet and said “Let them try and take this medal. I’m running across the border even though I can’t swim.”

People took to Twitter to stand in solidarity with the Olympian.

While addressing the issue of mental health, Saunders added that "it's OK to be able to need people."

“It’s OK to be strong. And it’s OK to not be strong 100 percent of the time," she said.

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