Who here thinks that we should boycott the Winter Olympics being held in Russia in 2014? Everyone? Huzzah!
Yes, I know my immediate reaction is to go against the tide, but how else can I possibly alienate myself and therefore feel unique?
There is a growing sentiment now around the world - felt very prominently here in the UK at the moment - that we should either ban or boycott the Winter Olympics that are due to be held in Sochi in 2014. Prolific broadcaster Stephen Fry recently got into a bit of a tiff with Prime Minister David Cameron about the issue, where Fry is essentially petitioning for the IOC to take the Olympics away from Russia to make a point to its government and specifically President Vladimir Putin. That point being:
"Dear Mr Putin, would you mind awfully leaving the lovely homosexuals alone?"
As I'm sure most are aware, Russia passed a law in June forbidding anybody from passing information about homosexuality to persons under the age of 18, showing not just a blithe disregard for the science behind "being gay" but also ignorance of the gay community in general. It makes it a lot easier to victimise a group of people if you can make outrageous claims of brainwashing and the spreading of propaganda.
In response the IOC has actually decided to take into consideration the anti-gay law in a decision making process to continue with the Sochi Olympics. CNN reported a couple of days ago that the IOC have decided not to withdraw the games from the city, based on a definitive statement by one of its members:
"I don't feel there is a problem whatsoever. Russia has their laws. Each athlete can have their own private life, so we won't call upon people about this and that. This law has to be respected. We are here for the World Championships and have no problem whatsoever and I'm not worried at all."
- Lamine Diack, IAAF President
Just for some perspective, this is what the IOC President Jacques Rogge had to say on the matter:
"The Olympic charter is clear. A sport is a human right and it should be available to all, regardless of race, sex or sexual orientation. As far as the freedom of expression is concerned, of course, this is something that is important."
Very diplomatic. It seems the IOC have managed to confirm a key factor in this whole debate that has been ultimately misconstrued: whilst it is clear that the Russian Government is homophobic, the law they have passed is not actually outlawing homosexuality, just essentially condemning it. I'm not saying that's a good thing at all, but I'm trying to build up to the next point.
Can we stop making the comparisons to Nazi Germany? Yes, Russia is starting to show the hallmarks of fascism in its early days, but I do not think Sochi 2014 can be adequately compared to Berlin 1936. For a start, the crux of the point - Jesse Owens, the African-American who won a gold medal - is ludicrous. According to Owens himself, Hitler's treatment of him at the games (who shook his hand when he won) paled in comparison to the treatment he received from his own government when he returned home an Olympian. Those that are saying that we should hope a gay athlete wins an event to illustrate a point to Mr Putin based on this argument are wallies: the Berlin Games, and Owens' win, took place in 1936. Three years later World War II and the subsequent, unrelenting extermination of anybody who wasn't white, hetero or Christian began. I don't think Jesse Owens had much of an impact on Mr Hitler.
If we as a human race outside of Russia can act in unison, then we essentially have three options. Accept the Sochi Olympics and get in the scrum for tickets; boycott the games and let down the teams sent there to compete; or take the games away from Russia and have them somewhere else.
I don't agree with Number 2, for hopefully obvious reasons, and I think there's been some miscommunication where the media are reporting "have-the-games-elsewhere" and "boycott" as the same thing. They're not the same thing. Boycott the games and you ignore their existence, potentially endangering the gay athletes sent there due to the lack of interested media coverage. Move them somewhere else is the line I would be on.
Unfortunately, even this option seems out of the question now, and I do fear that the IOC are pressing ahead not because of assurances from the Kremlin but because it's now too late. Whilst it would be nice to move the Olympics to some other country that could really use it and aren't stomping on human rights (although, good luck finding that country) it's probably not feasible at such a late stage.
As an aside, something that riled me about Russia recently as well was US President Obama's snubbing of a visit to the Kremlin. Not because of a law passed by the Duma essentially damning human rights...
But because of the asylum of a man who sought to utilise his.
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