TSAIbertron Says: Russia’s Discriminatory Law Contradictory to Overall Message of the Olympics

WESLEY TSAI
Staff Writer

The Winter Olympics was created in 1921, and like its fellow competition, the Summer Olympics was created with the regards to uphold the spirit of competition.

Sports are all about love of games and that is what comes between athletes and players but discrimination against homosexuality does not justify what the Olympics are really about. In 2014, Russia will hold the winter Olympics at Sochi. With the knowledge that Russia being one of the most anti-homosexual countries, Vladimir Putin pressed laws against exhibiting homosexual performance in front of minors. However, why is homosexualiity the main basis of the Winter Olympics? What happened to just the general interest of sports and competition? Furthermore, banning anti-gay demonstrations not only takes away from the culture, but also the spirit of sports as well.

The whole idea of the Olympics doesn’t comply with the meaning or message that the Russians are trying to input behind it. I remember watching my first Olympics on TV, it was held at Athens, Greece in 2004. Russia contradicts the definition of unity in an event where sports are always about meeting new people and having fun.
No matter what sex, race, ethnicity or sexuality you are, athletes are competing for the fun and passion of it. The main idea of unity is bringing the athletes together to compete with no strings attatched, whereas this year, the law against displaying homosexual conduct dephicates the true meaning of being united.

The whole spirit of the Olympics is really stripped away since Putin discriminates homosexuals. What is the point of calling it the Olympics when the Russians are more focused about the athletes that conduct homosexual activities? It is melancholy how athletes who have been practicing and devoting their entire lives to place in this competition be arrested or prohibited to perform in the competition simply because of their sexual orientation. The fact that athletes showing their true charisma at a worldwide event are being punished for doing so, is truly unacceptable