Why the tragic story of the Australian man in this photo is going viral.

It’s an iconic photo of protest.

Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos stand on the podium at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, holding their black-gloved fists in the Black Power salute, with their heads bowed. In that moment, they take a stand for racial equality and human rights in the middle of a worldwide sporting spectacle.

It’s an image that’s been used as a reminder in recent times that sport and politics can, and often do, mix. But the story of the Australian man to the far left, staring straight ahead, is one that doesn’t often get told.

Peter Norman was a white, non-American man, who was presented with the opportunity to stand and support a protest that had no direct bearing on him.

In fact, in a particularly tumultuous climate, he risked a lot. Taking a stand for racial injustice in the 60s was sometimes met with violence. The International Olympic Committee shunned controversy, and in Australia, the White Australia policy was still operating, meaning there was a threat of social repercussions when Norman returned home.

But in 1968, when Norman won a silver medal in the 200m final, he wore an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge, and was the one to suggest that Smith and Carlos share the one pair of gloves - wearing one each.

When the two African American athletes told Norman about their plan of protest, they asked him if he believed in human rights. He said he did. They asked if he believed in God. He said he did.

At Norman's funeral in 2006, Carlos recounted: "We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, 'I'll stand with you'."

Carlos said he didn't see any fear in Norman's eyes. "I saw love. Peter never flinched," he said.

But when Peter Norman returned home, he paid a hefty price. It's believed he was blacklisted from being selected for the 1972 Olympics, despite holding the Australian record for the 200m sprint, and being ranked fifth in the world. When Australia hosted the Olympics in 2000, Norman wasn't invited to attend. Instead, he came as a guest of the U.S. Track and Field Federation.

Smith and Carlos, too, were ostracised immediately. They were expelled from the Olympic Village, withdrawn from their other events, and struggled to find employment in the U.S. They received threats and abuse.

But once the tide shifted, they were rightfully celebrated as heroes, and pioneers of racial equality.

It was only in 2012, six years after his death at age 62, that Australia apologised for their treatment of Norman.

At his funeral, Chariots of Fire played while Smith and Carlos carried his coffin from the ceremony.

During the service, Smith described Norman as "a man who believed right could never be wrong", while Carlos said, "Not every young white individual would have the gumption, the nerve, the backbone, to stand there."

Given the current political climate, and the statements that have been made on the sporting field, it's a particularly powerful time to, as Carlos suggested, "Go and tell your kids the story of Peter Norman".

Listen: We chat to sport champion Ellyse Perry.