The State of Affairs in Russia

[garbon]

Why should we care about gays?

[derspiess]

There is a lot more wrong with Russia than this silly law.  You're not going to change anything.

[garbon]

So lesson learned is we should support them.

[sbr]

So lesson learned is we should support them.

Only if they are doing something interesting or productive; like hosting the Winter Olympics.

[sbr]

derspiess, a Russia apologist, who would have thought. 

[alfred russel]

The IOC has a choice.  Either they do what they say they are going to do under their Charter.  Or they should adopt the Dorsey Rule of very few are perfect so why bother.

As a reminder this is what the IOC says it stands for:

2 Mission and Role of the IOC*
The mission of the IOC is to promote Olympism throughout the world and to lead the
Olympic Movement. The IOC's role is:
1. to encourage and support the promotion of ethics and good governance in sport
6. to act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement;

1 is dubious in this instance--a general law against "homosexual propoganda" doesn't directly impact "ethics and good governance in sport".

6 also is also a close call--does this discrimination affect the Olympic Movement? Certainly many many regulations by Islamic countries do so in a much more direct way, and I believe they have since their participation began.

In both cases, clauses have been added that in theory narrow the scope of the discrimination being acted against: in 1, "in sport" and 6, "affecting the Olympic Movement".

But that isn't central to what I am saying. What is central is that there are competing priorities. There are all the items that you didn't bold, which require some sort of global buy in to the Olympic games. You can try to uphold a stand against discrimination that would exclude most of the world's population and most of the previous hosts of the games (as their laws stood then). Or we can allow somewhat dodgy countries like Russia and China host the games.

[garbon]

derspiess, a Russia apologist, who would have thought. 

Dislike of the gays, trump card.

[Razgovory]

derspiess, a Russia apologist, who would have thought. 

He recognizes Putin as a fellow right winger.

[derspiess]

I don't dislike gays and I'm not any more fond of Putin or Russia than any of you.  Stop being silly.

[Ed Anger]

I don't dislike gays and I'm not any more fond of Putin or Russia than any of you.  Stop being silly.

Monster

[Razgovory]

I don't dislike gays and I'm not any more fond of Putin or Russia than any of you.  Stop being silly.

No love for a fellow right winger?

[garbon]

I don't dislike gays and I'm not any more fond of Putin or Russia than any of you.  Stop being silly.

I forgot, you were there with Hillary and the "reset" button.

[crazy canuck]

You're not going to change anything.

Yeah, why bother.  Nothing ever changes.  Back of the bus please.

[crazy canuck]

6 also is also a close call--does this discrimination affect the Olympic Movement? Certainly many many regulations by Islamic countries do so in a much more direct way, and I believe they have since their participation began.

You should study your Olympic history a bit more.  During the last games considerable pressure was put on the IOC to do something about female participation from iirc Saudi Arabia.  And it worked.  But, meh, nothing ever changes.  Why bother.  Besides all this talk about human rights distracts from your enjoyment of the games and that is the most important thing right?

[alfred russel]

6 also is also a close call--does this discrimination affect the Olympic Movement? Certainly many many regulations by Islamic countries do so in a much more direct way, and I believe they have since their participation began.

You should study your Olympic history a bit more.  During the last games considerable pressure was put on the IOC to do something about female participation from iirc Saudi Arabia.  And it worked.  But, meh, nothing ever changes.  Why bother.  Besides all this talk about human rights distracts from your enjoyment of the games and that is the most important thing right?

I'm aware of that history. I'm also aware that women can't drive in Saudi Arabia, and there are still some conditions on their participation. I'm not certain of the ability of open homosexuals to participate on the Saudi team, but my guess is that it is rather diminished.

If you want to pressure outliers like Saudi Arabia, that is a great place to start. But if you want to draw the line somewhere above Russia for full inclusion, you are going to leave most of the world excluded. You then have a western democracy Olympic movement, not a worldwide Olympic movement, and I think that undermines the core spirit more than the current situation.