Fears over athletes' safety as Russian government's anti-homosexual attitude mars Sochi Olympics excitement

Official Logo of the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

Sporting events bring together massive amounts of athletes, friends, family, journalists and spectators. In a world where athletics seems to be the closest thing we all have to a universal language, it is never a welcomed thought to think that a worldwide event, such as the Olympics, would have such a negative connotation to it. The Sochi Winter Olympics, scheduled to start in under a week, has been surrounded by surprisingly hateful ideas.

The Olympics has always intended to hold a humane standard, meaning that any athlete, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, can equally compete. These have been (or attempted to be) the standards for the Games for years. This is debatably the greatest aspect of the Olympic games: equality. The Olympics focus on athletic ability. It is not concerned with and does not discriminate against where you are born, what kind of accent you speak with, or what your political views are.

However, the Olympics is a sporting event just like any other, and it comes with a great deal of publicity. Citizens of host countries have often used sporting events to publicize either their political or social reform efforts within their countries. Protests, marches, and strikes are all tactics used by groups of people attempting to force change, or at the least force some global attention onto their country’s problems.

Gay rights activists in St. Petersburg, Russia, May 2013. Source: Bloomberg

This year, the major theme surrounding the Sochi Olympics, is Russia and its anti-gay laws and attitudes. Even though Russia’s constitution claims equality and rights for all people, it has not stopped the mayor of Sochi from claiming that homosexuality will not be tolerated, and has never been tolerated in Russia. Russia claims to respect their citizens’ privacy, while at the same time condemning any homosexual activity and publicity.

Countries around the world, especially the United States, have been making efforts to boycott these Olympics. They have been concerned about the safety of their athletes, but Olympic committees around the world have deemed it more beneficial to participate in the Games, as opposed to causing a global disagreement. 

Sochi has promised the Games’ attendees’ safety, in exchange for their respect of Russia. This hypocritical view has left many in a state of confusion. Journalists have been attempting to challenge these statements in order to gain some clarity. Not much progress has been made on this account because when the mayor of Sochi- Mr. Antoly Pakhomov of President Putin's United Russia Party, was questioned about his views on homosexuality, he stated that Sochi has simply never had homosexuals thus far and therefore will never have them in the future as well.

Sochi Mayor says no gays in his town Source: BBC

It is unfortunate that any negative attitudes are being created in regards to the Olympics, an event that is supposed to unite the world in a common goal. Regardless of disputes and disagreements, athletes everywhere wish for a peaceful Games during which they can compete at the highest caliber against the best competition. As the Games get closer and closer, we must keep not only our ears open but also our minds, and hopefully our divided world can come together again for such an important event – The Olympic Games.

-Brynn Rollo

>>Click here to read more on protests against the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia