(ATR) After a worldwide outcry surrounding the nation’s new anti-gay law, a Russian official told Interfax today that his country has elected "not to raise this issue during the Olympics."
Igor Ananskikh, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Physical Culture, Sport, and Youth Policy Committee, said, "The Olympic Games is a major international event. We need to be as polite and tolerant as possible. That is why a decision has been made not to raise this issue during the Olympics."
The comments came just a day after the nation’s sports minister asserted that there would be no special treatment for visiting athletes and fans.
The recently-passed anti-gay law bans discussion and displays of so-called "non-traditional" relationships around minors. Symbols like rainbow flags and pins are also illegal. Violations are punishable by fines and jail time with foreigners also facing deportation.
The sports minister’s comments on Thursday had further fueled the controversy, leading opponents globally to call for the boycott of Russian products, including various vodkas. Some even called for wholesale boycotts of the games themselves.
The news surfaced just after International Olympic Committee presidential candidate Richard Carrion, in a statement to Around the Rings, called on his fellow officials to ensure athletes would go unaffected by anti-gay laws during the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi.
"We should use all the avenues possible for influence and diplomacy with Russian officials," said Carrion, "so that this legislation will not create a problem for our athletes. I am confident that the discussions going on now with the Russian authorities will help clarify theextent of the law and will ensure that our athletes will be protected."
Carrion has been an IOC member since 1990 and was elected to the Executive Board in 2004.
"One of the deepest core values of the Olympic Movement," Carrion went on to say, "is ‘sports as a human right.’ Nothing should ever stand in the way of that."
Carrion is one of six candidates, along with Sergey Bubka, Thomas Bach, Ser Miang Ng, C.K. Wu, and Denis Oswald. The new president will be elected on September 10th during the IOC Session in Buenos Aires.
Written by Nick Devlin
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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