Tag Archives: IOC

Putin Bans Protests During Olympics

Pink News has the story: A decree banning demonstrations and rallies has been signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and will take place over the duration of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. The decree, signed today will block all demonstrations and rallies from taking place, will take effect for two and a half months covering the games, reports the Associated …

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Russian Gov’t Defends Anti-Gay Law In Letter To International Olympic Committee

The Russian government has “reassured” the International Olympic Committee that they will not discriminate against gay people during the Sochi Olympics.  Except that they might. The IOC received a letter from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak giving reassurances the host country will comply fully with the Olympic Charter’s provision against discrimination of any kind. “The Russian Federation guarantees the …

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Quote Of The Day – George Takei

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Petition Of The Day

Athlete Ally has launched a petition campaign which demands that the International Olympic Committee chose Madrid as the host city of the 2020 Summer Games. Via press release: On September 7 the IOC will choose the host city for the 2020 Olympic Games. Of the three finalists, Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul, one city shines above as LGBT friendly. And only …

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LGBT Sports Group Calls On Athletes To Hold Hands At Sochi Olympics

Noting that all demonstrations involving pins, flags, and other items are strictly banned by the IOC, yesterday an international LGBT sports group launched the “Same-Sex Hand-Holding Initiative.” The campaign is simple: Pride House International is calling on everyone present in Sochi – athletes, staff, media, officials, spectators, sponsors, vendors, and fans – to take every opportunity to hold hands with …

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Facebook Graphic Of The Day

As we know, those “assurances” were shot down by the Russian government, but the comparison remains striking. Source.

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IOC: We Might Punish Athletes Who Make Pro-Gay Demonstrations In Sochi

The International Olympic Committee has a long-standing rule about political demonstrations and they have confirmed to Gay Star News that they will likely enforce that rule at Sochi should any pro-gay protests be made by the athletes. Under rule 50 of the IOC’s charter: ‘No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, …

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IOC Demands “Clarity” From Russia

Today the head of the International Olympic Committee asked Russia for further clarity on whether the ban on “homosexual propaganda” will be enforced during the Sochi Olympics. Last week the IOC said it had received “assurances” from the Russian government that fans and athletes would be exempt from the law during the Games, but that claim was immediately shot down …

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Editorial Of The Day

From the editorial board of the Washington Post: Mr. Obama, speaking on the eve of his cancellation of a summit meeting in Moscow, said he felt Mr. Putin would surely understand “that for most of the countries that participate in the Olympics, we wouldn’t tolerate gays and lesbians being treated differently.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should understand that as …

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SWITZERLAND: 320,000 Petition Signatures Delivered To IOC Headquarters

Yesterday the activist group All Out delivered 320,000 petition signatures to IOC headquarters in Switzerland. The petition demands that Russia repeal its national anti-gay bill before the start of the Sochi Olympics and calls on the IOC to issue a condemnation of the law. “Ironically, the global outcry is transforming Sochi into an amazing platform for Russians and athletes to …

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George Takei On Moving The Olympics

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New York Times: Why Aren’t Olympic Officials More Outraged About Russia?

Here’s what NBC really said in the article linked by Fischer: NBC officials might have been expected to speak forcefully, given that the network paid $775 million to broadcast the Sochi Games, and that its journalists face the potential of being prosecuted for addressing the issue of homosexuality. NBC Universal reiterated on Tuesday a statement that it “strongly supports equal …

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HomoQuotable – Stephen Fry

“I am gay. I am a Jew. My mother lost over a dozen of her family to Hitler’s anti-Semitism. Every time in Russia (and it is constantly) a gay teenager is forced into suicide, a lesbian ‘correctively’ raped, gay men and women beaten to death by neo-Nazi thugs while the Russian police stand idly by, the world is diminished and …

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George Takei: Move The Olympics

“Last week, Russia’s Sports Minister confirmed that the country intends to enforce its laws against visiting LGBT athletes, trainers and fans, meaning anyone even so much as waving a rainbow flag (and I presume many men enthusiastically watching and dramatically commenting on figure skating) would be arrested, held for weeks and then deported.Given this position, the IOC must do the …

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IOC: We’re Using Quiet Diplomacy

International Olympic Committee vice president Ng Ser Miang yesterday told the press that the IOC is using “quiet diplomacy” with Russia to ensure that attendees of the Sochi Olympics are not affected by the “homosexual propaganda” ban. Ng, an IOC vice president from Singapore, said Vladimir Putin’s government has much at stake in the 2014 Olympics and won’t want to …

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Senate Resolution Will Call On IOC To Denounce Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) will introduce a resolution which calls on the International Olympic Committee to explicitly denounce Russia’s ban on “homosexual propaganda.” Via Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed: The resolution will ask the IOC both to oppose the law itself and to receive a guarantee that athletes and spectators will not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation …

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Canadian Foreign Minister Slams Russia

“As concerned as we are about the Olympics, that’s nothing. That’s two, three, four weeks for the athletes and participants and the visitors. This mean-spirited and hateful law will affect all Russians 365 days of the year, every year. It is an incitement to intolerance, which breeds hate. And intolerance and hate breed violence. We wanted more than a verbal …

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HomoQuotable – Fred Sainz

“One wonders which Russian authorities the IOC is speaking to. Within the past twenty-four hours, two high level officials have gone out of their way to contradict the IOC in no uncertain terms. The opinion of the Russian government is now perfectly clear: if you’re gay and you come to Russia for the Olympics, you will be in harm’s way. …

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Russian Minister: IOC Is Wrong, We WILL Enforce Anti-Gay Laws During Olympics

Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko says that despite the “assurances” claimed by the International Olympic Committee, Russia will indeed arrest any athlete or fan who violates their ban on “homosexual propaganda.” Via Russia’s state news agency: The IOC told R-Sport Friday it “has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect …

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HomoQuotable – Nancy Goldstein

“So who on earth does the IOC, or Putin for that matter, think they’re kidding with their ‘assurances’? Can they really be so entirely naïve or so thoroughly cynical that they don’t think non-Russian LGBT people or our allies care about what’s been happening to our Russian counterparts in the wake of Putin’s edicts so long as our own skins …

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