Asked about the European Athletics position with regard to the IOC’s Rule 50, which bans political protests by athletes on the podium or other Olympic areas, Karamarinov replied:

"If something happens in Tokyo we will have to see case-by-case what happens.

"At European Athletics we believe that athletes have the right to their opinions, but to express opinions on the podium we don’t see as a good example.

"We have a belief that we have to be very strict to the rules, and the rules are the rules."

Christian Milz, the European Athletics chief executive, added: "At European Athletics we have a code of ethics that makes it clear we are 100 per cent against any kind of discrimination.

"We have to respect that, and we also believe that sport has the power of breaking social barriers. 

"On the other hand of course we are really unhappy to have political demonstrations on podiums in the future, but that is for the IOC to manage."

The European Athletics position differs from the one recently espoused by the World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, who does not want to see bans imposed on athlete protests.

Last December Coe underlined his support for athletes taking a knee at the re-scheduled Olympic Games in the Japanese capital by giving the annual President’s Award to the trio who famously protested for human rights on the podium at the 1968 Mexico Olympics - Tommie Smith, Peter Norman and John Carlos.

IOC President Thomas Bach said last October that the Olympics should not be "a marketplace of demonstrations".