Sports' reaction to Queen's death is understandably complicated

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

As the United Kingdom continues to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there has been a constant outpouring of condolence from athletes, sports media personalities and organizations and clubs connected to the long-reigning monarch. She had a noted history of a love of horses and of competition. 

The weekend following her death, all English Premier League matches were cancelled and many other events were quickly ended or postponed, including rugby in England and Scotland, and the Tour of Britain cycling event. 

A historic rendition of God Save the King was sung at the storied Oval cricket pitch in South London as England played South Africa in a series of test matches. 

The English women's cricket team played India and stood for a moment of silence. 

Both sets of players in Durham remember Her Majesty The Queen. <a href="https://t.co/HPu2zXbD5W">pic.twitter.com/HPu2zXbD5W</a>

One commenter to that post made reference to the Indian national anthem, which seems simple on the surface, but if one pauses to examine the context, it's a little more complicated. India was a British colony and the amount of brutality and oppression it endured is not only historically chronicled, but ever-present through the remains of colonial legacies that uphold systems of oppression (like shadeism and classism) in the Subcontinent. 

So when athletes remember Her Majesty, what are they permitted to remember under the rules of their respective organization's propriety? 

I am a woman of immigrant experience whose family was displaced from India in 1947 and eventually ended up in Canada. As such, I got used