Would anyone be likely to do it to that level? By that I mean protesting an issue that is outside of their own country, relating to the country they are currently in and against their government?
I am a bit torn on this, because while I cannot really go against a lot of the protests in the past, what happens if everyone starts doing this and the medal podium becomes a row of various salutes - a lot of which may not be fully understood and may be misinterpreted.
For example, I know someone who did thumbs up at someone in Iran - and over there is it NOT what it may mean to you in the USA! It is like doing the middle finger at someone (or at least that is how it was interpreted).
Likewise, a lot of these symbols can mean different things.
Is a podium the right place for this?
But can sport ever be free of politics - and should it be?
Are some protests acceptable to you and some not? E.g. gay pride (in Russia), freedom of speech (in various other countries), maltreatment of humans...