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In an exclusive interview with wrestling champion Kyle Dake on “RFK Jr. The Defender Podcast,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dake discussed the increasing pressures on athletes to conform to medical mandates — and the struggle to fight against them.
Kennedy introduced Dake by summarizing his wrestling legacy:
“He was a bronze medalist at the Olympics in Tokyo and a three-time world champion for the USA. He won for Cornell University, his alma mater. He won four NCAA championships in four different weight classes. And I think you’re the first person in history to do that. Arguably, a lot of my friends when they heard you were coming on, said he is the best wrestler in history — and nobody else has come close.”
Shortly after the Tokyo Olympics, Dake and other competitors preparing for the World Championships were told that they would have to be vaccinated to participate.
Dake told Kennedy:
“We got an email from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee that said, there will be a [COVID] vaccine mandate from now on for all sports that are sponsored by the OPC. And if you want to use any of our services, if you want to use any of our facilities, you will have to be vaccinated or get an exemption. And if you want to compete in any of our events — the Olympic team trials or the Olympic games — you must be vaccinated.”
Dake, who had been in continuous training for years and on dietary and exercise regimens of the highest order, considered any mandated intervention in his personal health a serious violation.
Dake said:
“So as soon as that hit, I saw red, my ears were smoking. I was really upset about it because I just came off of an Olympic bronze medal.”
Dake told Kennedy how the pressure on him and other athletes was so great that he decided to fight back. He formed Athletes for Medical Freedom, an organization that defends the personal autonomy of those who want to compete without having to comply with the mandates.
When Kennedy asked what athletes are represented by the organization, Dake replied:
“We have Paralympic hockey, we have track and field, men’s and women’s wrestling, Greco wrestling, skeleton, and then a variety of athletes from different countries, tennis, baseball, swimming … There’s a handful of us, but you know, we’ve been shouting from the rooftops.”
Kennedy commented on the challenge of getting professional athletes to join Dake in his fight for medical freedom:
“There are political issues with them, too — they’re struggling for survival and may not want to become the face of a movement.”
Watch the podcast here:
