This, in the 21st century! And so where is our sporting leadership on this? Nowhere. In response to such an outrage - so totally inimical to what is supposed to be the core inclusive values of the Olympic movement - the IOC has not uttered a peep of criticism. Nor has the AOC! Not a peep! It is particularly disappointing John Coates, who is targeting the IOC vice-presidency, has not seen fit to call this for what it - completely outrageous. Instead, there appears to be a tacit acceptance that the Russians are just a bit weird on this, so let's just ignore it.
But why the hell would we?
Just as Australia was to the fore on rugby sanctions against South Africa, why not take the lead on this one, too? (Apart from the fact that big-time sport is now pretty much just a business, and any move that might possibly affect net revenue will be automatically rejected I mean.) Why not get together with the likes of the United States, Britain, France, New Zealand et al, and say out loud: ''If you persist with the persecution of gays, then we will not come to the Winter Olympics''? If there was concerted action on it from the major Western nations, Russia would have no choice but to back down, and the Olympic movement could have its first moral victory in the 21st century, proving that all its talk about the "spirit of sport, coming together for a better world, etc, etc, etc" is something more than talk alone. Read moreI must admit that I for one would feel much better about Sochi even if Australia was the only one to boycott. It would make me feel that at least we'd made a stand for what's right even if nobody else did.
As for the athletes, well tough I reckon. Australian Olympians didn't exactly have halos over their heads in London. Most of what we were dished up from them there was little more than hissy fits and delusions of grandeur. I was so pissed off with the way some of them behaved over there, like bloody spoilt little brats.
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