Norman won the silver medal in the 200 meter sprint at the 1968 Olympic Games. The gold and bronze medal winners were Black men from the United States, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, who wanted to make a stand on the medal podium in support of civil rights, specifically the Black Panther movement. Instead of shying away, Norman wore a Olympic Project for Human Rights alongside the two American men. But the most trustworthy act came years later. All three Olympic athletes had been banned from the next Olympics, and Norman was treated like an outsider in Australian society. The Australian Olympic Committee gave Norman the opportunity to condemn his actions in the 1968 Olympics in return for a steady job with the committee, but Norman refused. Norman made a promise to stand up for what was right, and he never went back on his promise.