RIA Novosti Roundup -- Isinbayeva Backs Law; USOC Speaks

Yelena Isinbayeva Backs Russia's Anti-Gay Law

Pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva issued a vehement defense of Russia's anti-gay law Thursday, saying she fears for the future of her country if it is not enforced.

Isinbayeva, Russia's best-known active track-and-field star, will be the honorary mayor of the athletes' village in Sochi for next year's Winter Games, which some groups want to boycott due to the country's controversial banning of homosexuality promotion to minors.

"If we will allow to promote and do all this stuff on the streets, we are very afraid for our nation," Isinbayeva, a noted supporter of President Vladimir Putin, said in English.

Russia’s Interior Ministry confirmed last week that it would enforce the law, which many activists regard as an assault on free speech, in the Olympic host city next year.

"We consider ourselves as traditional people, when men live with women. This comes from history. I hope this problem won’t affect the Sochi Games," added Isinbayeva, who spoke two days after winning her third world title in the Russian capital.

"The Olympic movement and such things as non-traditional relationships are two different things and shouldn’t be mixed."

Calls to boycott Russia’s first Winter Olympics were "not fair to the athletes," Isinbayeva said.

Just moments before Isinbayeva won the gold medal in Moscow, US middle distance runner Nick Symmonds dedicated a silver medal he won to his gay and lesbian friends, becoming the first athlete to criticize the law on Russian soil. On Thursday, Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro competed with rainbow fingernails in support of Russia's gay community in a subtle form of protest.

An openly gay speedskater, Blake Skjellerup of New Zealand, has already said he would wear a rainbow pin in protest at the law should he qualify for Sochi.

Isinbayeva said she had no problem with any gay athletes competing at the Sochi Olympics – "of course everybody can compete" – but she was against the discussion of gay lifestyles during the Games.

"We are not against the choice of every person. It’s their lives and choices. We are just against the publicity of it in our country, and I support our government," she said.

The anti-gay legislation was signed into law by Putin in June and specifies fines of up to $3,000 for individuals who break it. The International Olympic Committee said last week that, before taking an official stance, it wanted clarifications on what the law means and how it will be implemented in Sochi.

The IOC has insisted it has received assurances from high-level officials that the law will not be enforced for athletes and spectators during the Games – but Russia's Interior Ministry issued a rebuttal of sorts on Monday, confirming that the "promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors" is illegal for anyone.

US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron are among those rejecting calls for a boycott.

While the law’s proponents argue that it is aimed at protecting children from harmful influences, critics allege that the move is part of a broader crackdown on Russia’s gay community.

Russia has come under international criticism, including from the European Court of Human Rights, for its treatment of gay people.

US Olympic Chief: Athletes Must Respect a Nation's Laws

In an interview with R-Sport, the CEO of the US Olympic Committee, Scott Blackmun, says he expects athletes to respect the law in the country of competition, a reference to Russia's anti-gay legislation ahead of the Sochi 2014 Olympics, and also reveals his stance on wrestling's place at the Summer Games.

What's your interpretation of Russia's anti-gay law and are there any measures you're planning on taking ahead of the Sochi 2014 Olympics?

"We've read the law, there are over 200 national Olympic committees, and it's not workable for each of them to develop its own interpretation and approach with respect to the law, so were looking to the IOC for some leadership in this issue. they have been in discussions with the Russian authorities, so we're awaiting for some clarification from them."

"Our job, first and foremost, is to make sure that our athletes are prepared to compete andaren't distracted while they're here. We're a sports organization, and we'll leave the diplomacy on the legal issues to the diplomats, and we're not going to get involved."

You might have to get involved if an athlete decides to make a protest.

"You can't judge in advance what you're going to do. Each Games is different. The athletes are always going into countries with laws different than his or her own country. They're going to agree with those laws in some ways, they're going to disagree with those laws in other ways. It's our strong desire that our athletes comply with the laws of every nation that we visit. This law is no different."

What's your reaction to Nick Symmonds' dedication of his silver medal to his gay and lesbian friends?

"I know he feels strongly about this issue as many Americans do, beyond that we really don't have any comments. We encourage our athletes to work within Russian law, and I know Nick is trying to do that as well."

What did you think of the lack of spectators at the start of these championships?

"I'm at a disadvantage because I arrived yesterday and the stadium was electric last night, so my experience is unequivocally positive. I saw a couple of competitions involving Americans and Russians – the pole vault and the hurdles – two great competitions, both well fought."

But did that make you worry that, when it comes to Sochi 2014, the Russians will only turn out to cheer for their own?

"Part of what's going on here relates to the fact that it's summer. When I was here in January it was much more crowded than it is now, so I can only presume that there are a lot of Russians who are normally in Moscow but are not now in Moscow, and that may have impacted the first couple of days."

Turning to the competition itself, how important was the agreement to include NHL players in the Olympic hockey tournament?

"I think it was very important for the players in the NHL. They really wanted to be a part of the Games. Players who made the team wanted to represent their country, and players who don't make the team will look forward to having a week or two off. So I think all the players really wanted this to happen, and the question was how did we make it happen on a basis that's economically viable to the league. And that's what took them a lot of time to work through."

You were at the top of the overall medal count in Vancouver. What are your expectations for Sochi?

"For us, we would like to leave Sochi believing that all of our athletes did the best they could do. As long as we can prepare them and create an environment where they have the opportunity to do the best they can do, then the medal table will take care of itself. So we don't have any specific goals on numbers of medals or anything like that. We focus on what we can control and prepare."

Where does USOC stand on the 2020 Olympic host city when it comes to the bids from Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo? The vote is a month away.

"We don't vote, and so we have not weighed in or rendered an opinion or preference either way, and I think it'll stay that way."

What about one of the other big decisions ahead, on the future of wrestling in the Games?

"Before the executive board decision, I was a very strong proponent of women's softball, because it doesn't really have a global platform other than the Olympic Games. It's difficult to imagine the Olympic Games without wrestling, but on the other hand, these women really deserve to be in the Games. I don't feel the same way about baseball, because baseball has the world series, and women's softball doesn't have that. ... Without the Olympic Games, there's really no place for our women to exhibit their talent. The exposure's very limited."

But as a sport, women's softball is clearly confined to certain parts of the world.

"I think clearly that had an impact on why the decision was made a few years ago to drop softball and baseball. That was clearly a factor. But there's some pretty strong softball in Asia; it's not just North America. The current gold medalist is Japan."

Published by exclusive arrangement with Around the Rings’ Sochi 2014 media partner RIA-Novosti.

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