Extending gloved hands skyward in a salute to black power, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos, right, stare downward during the playing of The

Paris ? Around the globe, athletes are plodding on lonely training runs, sweating in gyms and straining in pools, united by a common goal: to be faster, higher and stronger at the Beijing Olympics.

But there’s no unity when it comes to protests, boycotts and political demonstrations – over Tibet or other human rights issues in China.

Some argue the Olympics should be free of politics, while others say athletes with a conscience must speak out. And still others are unsure how to react or seem uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Asked if he would wear a ribbon for Tibet or boycott the opening ceremony, top-ranked tennis star Roger Federer said: “No, not so far. I don’t think I will.”

“Honestly, I don’t know enough about the situation. I don’t know how much we athletes should be involved in this,” said Federer, of Switzerland. “It should be a celebration of sport and not using it for political reasons.”

Fellow player James Blake believes any protest should not be an individual call.

“I don’t feel like it’s my decision to go and say, ‘I know what’s best for the entire country of China, I know what’s best for the entire Olympic team,”‘ the American said. “I think it should be a joint decision, kind of all-for-one decision, whether every Olympic team boycotts or we all go and we represent our country with pride.”

“I’ve worked hard. I would love to be there. I’m proud to be a part of the U.S. Olympic team,” he added. “If they tell me it’s the right thing to do to go over there, I’ll go over there. If they tell me it’s the right thing to do to stay home, then I’ll stay home. I would be disappointed, because I want to compete in the Olympics and I want to be there.”

Rule 51

Weighing on athletes’ decision-making is Rule 51, subsection 3, of the Olympic Charter, which says: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

In short, athletes who pull out “Free Tibet” banners in Beijing could be sent home.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has asked its athletes to comply with Olympic rules, and said no extra measures would be imposed.

For the moment, athletes pushing for a more activist approach seem to be in the minority. French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil, who rejects the “activist” label, has recently been sounding out others about ways to show their commitment to human rights.

He says China’s Tibet crackdown was a turning point for him. Initially, he suggested athletes wear a green ribbon or other symbol – something both discreet and visible – when competing.

That evolved into a badge, marked “For a better world,” that Mesnil and nearly two dozen current and former French athletes unveiled Friday. They want the International Olympic Committee to let them wear it in Beijing, a request that could come up in Olympic officials’ discussions this week on how to interpret and apply Rule 51 at the games.

Mesnil says an athlete boycott of the opening ceremony also “is very interesting” and “can be one of the possibilities.”

German fencer Imke Duplitzer has said she will not take part in the ceremony if she qualifies. Cyclist Thor Hushovd of Norway told his country’s Faderlandsvennen newspaper that he, too, could join such a protest.

“As actors at the games, we have to make ourselves heard. As athletes, we have to display Olympic values and human values,” Mesnil told The Associated Press. “We don’t want to be mere pawns. In the current debates, we get a little bit of the impression that we are being told, ‘You athletes do what you have to do, and let us take care of the rest. It is not your problem.’ I say no.”

French protests?

Another sign that France’s delegation might be one to watch for protests in Beijing came from a survey last week in Sport magazine.

The magazine said it asked 126 athletes who either qualified or who could qualify for the Olympics and Paralympics, and that nearly half said they were ready to skip the opening ceremony. A third said they’d be willing to wear a Tibet flag T-shirt at the games, three-fourths supported Mesnil’s campaign, and nearly half expressed hope that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will make good on his threats to boycott the opening ceremony.