Tag Archives: Sochi Olympics

French President Won’t Attend Sochi

French President Francois Hollande will not be attending the Sochi Olympics, but so far the French government hasn’t given a reason. Via Buzzfeed: “There are no plans to attend,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the station. “Top French officials have no plans to be there.” Fabius offered no explanation for the decision to ditch the games, according to Europe 1, …

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Greg Louganis: Sochi Athletes Should Publicly Thank Gay Supporters

Olympic legend Greg Louganis is opposed to a boycott of the Sochi Games, but he has an idea about how athletes could make a statement there without raising the ire of the IOC. Via USA Today: Greg Louganis urged American Olympians on Friday to dedicate their performances at February’s Sochi Games to their gay friends and relatives as a means …

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TODAY: Queer Nation To Protest At NBC

Queer Nation will today crash the holiday party for NBC staffers at a hotel in downtown New York City. They write: This is the not at all inspiring tale of the International Olympic Committee and eleven of the top Olympic sponsors’ Road to Sochi. This coalition of some of the biggest mega-corporations on Earth dutifully and unfortunately followed the lead …

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HomoQuotable – Nancy Goldstein

“NBC has been dodging attempts from activists to hold them accountable since the laws were enacted. A letter from the gay lobbying group Human Rights Campaign’s president asking NBC to include news of Russia’s human-rights violations alongside their standard Olympics coverage elicited a mealy-mouthed response from the network, which said it would ‘provide coverage of Russia’s anti-gay laws if the …

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HRC Slams Sochi Protest Zones

“Given the Russian government’s history of strong-arm authoritarian tactics, the existence of a protest zone is ironically rich. Olympic athletes should be free to speak their minds about the heinous nature of these laws. You don’t stop being human when you become an Olympian. It tells you a lot about President Bach and the IOC’s commitment to human rights that …

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Martina Navratilova & Jason Collins Call On Sporting Bodies To Respect LGBT Rights

Martina Navratilova and Jason Collins yesterday called on international sporting groups to respect LGBT rights. The pair spoke at a United Nations event marking International Human Rights Day. They focused in part on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia, which passed a law this summer banning homosexual “propaganda.” The law has drawn international condemnation and sparked calls for a boycott, …

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Russia To Create Protest Zones At Sochi

The International Olympic Committee today revealed that the Russia government will set up protest zones near the venues for the Sochi Olympics. The announcement came during a news teleconference held by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. “This was under discussion with the IOC for quite some time,” Bach said. “This is a measure we welcome so that everybody can …

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EU Commissioner To Boycott Sochi

Yahoo News reports: European Union commissioner Viviane Reding said she would not be attending the Sochi 2014 Olympics in February over what she said was Russia’s treatment of minorities, joining German President Joachim Gauck in an open snub to the host nation. “I will certainly not go to Sochi as long as minorities are treated the way they are under …

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Russian Politician Slams German President Over Decision To Boycott Sochi

Via the Guardian: The German president has become the first major political figure to boycott the Sochi Winter Olympics in February. According to German weekly Der Spiegel, Joachim Gauck last week told the Kremlin of his decision, which is understood to be a response to the Russian government’s violations of human rights and harassment of the opposition. The head of …

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IOC Reminds Athletes: Don’t Protest

The International Olympic Committee is crafting a letter that contains its final warning against athletes participating in any protests at the Sochi Olympics. The International Olympic Committee executive board is expected to approve the instructions at its meeting in Lausanne on Tuesday. The letter will then be sent to the national Olympic committees that are sending athletes to the Sochi …

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German President To Boycott Sochi

German President Joachim Gauck has announced that he will not attend the Sochi Olympics in protests of Russia’s anti-LGBT pogrom. ESPN reports: Gauck took the decision to protest human rights violations and the harassment of Russian opposition political figures, Der Spiegel reported Sunday. The magazine said the Russian government was informed of his decision last week. Presidential spokeswoman Ferdos Forudastan …

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NYS Comptroller To Sochi Sponsors: Denounce Russia’s Anti-Gay Crackdown

New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has signed onto a letter which demands that sponsors of the Sochi Olympics issue a denouncement of Russia’s anti-gay pogrom. Andy Humm reports at Gay City News: Ten major Olympic sponsors from Coke to Dow Chemical –– none of which has acceded to calls that they speak out forcefully against Russia’s laws making it …

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NBC Backs Johnny Weir’s Apology

Earlier today I posted Johnny Weir’s apology for calling Queer Nation activists “idiots.”  NBC has now issued a short statement about the flap. Via Deadline: “We’re supportive of Johnny’s apology for his choice of words last night in an emotional setting. As we’ve previously stated, NBC will cover all newsworthy issues as they are relevant to the Games, including the …

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HomoQuotable – Johnny Weir

“I was speaking at a university and called a small group of people protesting my speech, idiots, for no other reason that my tongue getting away from me. This kind of talk is usually relegated to the safety of my own friend groupings and family but for some reason, I felt like a threatened underdog and needed to take a …

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Johnny Weir: Gay Activists Are Idiots

Andy Humm reports at Gay City News: Former Olympic skater Johnny Weir was picketed by Queer Nation outside his talk at Barnard College December 2 for his position that “the Olympics are not the place to make a political statement” about Russia’s anti-gay laws and “you have to respect the culture of a country you are visiting.” During his talk …

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HomoQuotable – Ken Kidd

“Johnny Weir is an insufferable, entitled twit, to say the least. Fine. But he’s NBC’s Token Olympic Gay, and many people’s only perceived authority on Putin’s Russia. So when he starts peppering his NBC color commentary with lies, gently but confidently faux-explaining how ‘it’s really not so bad over there’ and ‘what a shame’ that a small number of troublemakers …

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Principle 6 Merchandise Is Now On Sale

A couple of months ago I reported that Athlete Ally and All Out were joining to offer gear that promotes Principle Six of the International Olympic Committee, which declares opposition to discrimination based on “race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise.” Sales commenced today, reports the New York Times: Andre Banks, executive director of All Out, said the merchandise “allows us …

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Queer Nation: The Road To Sochi

(Via Towleroad)

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RUSSIA: Government Spies On LGBT Groups, Broadcasts Secret Recordings

J. Lester Feder reports at Buzzfeed: Russian officials bugged a private strategy meeting convened by Russian LGBT activists and four major international human rights organizations in October, an intensification of the campaign to clamp down on LGBT rights ahead of the Olympic games in Sochi. This surveillance was revealed on Nov. 12, when a state television channel broadcast audio from …

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Russia: #LoveAlwaysWins

Via press release: Today All Out, an organization mobilizing millions of people and their social networks to build a powerful global movement for love and equality, released a new short video as part of its campaign urging Russia to repeal its anti-gay propaganda ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The video imagines what it could be like for …

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