Sports Tommie Smith, John Carlos did the Black Power salute at the Olympics on this day in 1968 October 16, 2020 Analis Bailey, USA TODAY Comments Off on Tommie Smith, John Carlos did the Black Power salute at the Olympics on this day in 1968 On Oct. 16, 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos had one of the most influential moments of protest in sports history at the Summer Olympics.