On July 27 , 2012 , Ali was a titular bearer of the Olympic flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London . He was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson 's rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium . The same year , he was awarded the Philadelphia Liberty Medal in recognition of his lifelong efforts in activism , philanthropy and humanitarianism . In 2014 , Ali tweeted in support of Trayvon Martin and the Black Lives Matter movement
opening ceremonies
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Muhammad Ali