Russia's anti-gay law will be enforced during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, the Interior Ministry of Russia confirmed today. President Vladimir Putin signed legislation in June that bans homosexuality being promoted to children.
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"The law enforcement agencies can have no qualms with people who harbor a nontraditional sexual orientation and do not commit such acts [to promote homosexuality to minors], do not conduct any kind of provocation and take part in the Olympics peacefully," Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said in a statement.
"Any discussion on violating the rights of representatives of nontraditional sexual orientations, stopping them from taking part in the Olympic Games or discrimination of athletes and guests of the Olympics according to their sexual orientation is totally unfounded and contrived."
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The International Olympic Comittee (IOC) had assured athletes and guests would be protected from Russian law. It doesn't seem that the IOC is doing enough for the athletes and may end up siding with Russia on this one. In a recent interview with Gay Star News the IOC cited Rule 50 in the Olympic Charter that states: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."
"Regarding your suggestions, the IOC has a clear rule laid out in the Olympic Charter (Rule 50) which states that the venues of the Olympic Games are not a place for proactive political or religious demonstration. In any case, the IOC would treat each case individually and take a sensible approach depending on what was said or done," a spokeswoman for the IOC said when GSN asked about openly gay athletes wearing rainbow pins or holding hands during the opening and closing ceremonies.
So what can openly gay athletes do to ensure their safety during the Winter Olympics? Alexander Zhukov, the head of Russia's National Olympic Committee, has a suggestion: "If a person does not put across his views in the presence of children, no measures against him can be taken. People of nontraditional sexual orientations can take part in the competitions and all other events at the Games unhindered, without any fear for their safety whatsoever."
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