Nick Symmonds, Olympic track and field star, wrote in his blog post on RunnersWorld.com, “If I am placed in a race with a Russian athlete, I will shake his hand, thank him for his country’s generous hospitality, and then, after kicking his ass in the race, silently dedicate the win to my gay and lesbian friends back home. Upon my return, I will then continue to fight for their rights in my beloved democratic union.”

Whether to boycott or participate in the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games, held in Sochi, Russia, has become a topic of international controversy as sports fans, athletes, politicians, observers, and citizens discuss and form opinions on Russia’s recently enacted law that prohibits, “propaganda of non-traditional relationships.” The law, which was enacted late last June, essentially bans being publicly gay in Russia.

A main worry that that has been voiced is whether gay athletes will be put at risk by displaying their sexuality. People from other countries found to be in breach of the law can be fined, face up to 15 days of jail time and can be deported. In response to rising concern Russia has sent mixed messages.

Columnist Rosie DiManno, from the Toronto Star, quotes Vladimir Putin as saying, “This is not about imposing any kind of sanctions against homosexuality. This is about protecting children. The law does not in any way infringe on the rights of sexual minorities. They are full-fledge members of our society and are not being discriminated against in any way.”

On the contrary, Igor Ananskikh, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Physical Culture, Sport and Youth Policy Committee told Interfax Russia & FSU General News, “The law came into force and cannot be neutralized; however, individuals with unconventional sexual orientation can also be participants of the Olympiad.  But under the law they will be unable to engage in propaganda, otherwise they will be punished in line with Russian legislation.”

Whether this will affect American athletes participating in the Olympics is unclear. However, in response to concerns regarding the treatment of gay athletes in the upcoming Games, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, has issued a statement saying, “To that end, the IOC has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games.”

In addition to the Olympic athletes and IOC, many Americans have opinions on the issue. Although Olympic principle states that the games should not be used for political stances, many refer to past political actions that directly affected the games to validate their opinion.

People who believe that the U.S. should participate in the Olympics have referred back to the 1936 Olympics, which was also referred to as the “Nazi Games.” At those games, which many opposed American participation, African American, Jesse James won four gold medals. His victories helped dismiss the Nazi ideal of a superior Aryan race.

However, Americans who believe the U.S. should boycott the upcoming games have brought up the IOC’s decision to prohibit South Africa from participating in the 1964 games in Tokyo because of the country’s refusal to dismantle apartheid, an official system of segregation and discrimination against non-whites.  The country wasn’t invited back until the 1992 Barcelona games following the repeal of apartheid the previous year.

If the U.S. does decide to boycott the Sochi Olympics, it will not be the first time.  While President Jimmy Carter was in office, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan was protested by America boycotting the 1980 Moscow games.  In turn, 60 plus countries followed suit.

To add insult to injury, Russia has turned down plans to build a Gay Pride House on site of the games, a tradition started in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.  The house is meant to celebrate gay pride and provide information about homosexuality.  According to Mark Johanson of the online International Business Times, Russian authorities have said that the Pride House would “contradict the foundations of public morality and government policy in the area of protection of the family, motherhood and childhood.”

Because of these restrictions, gay rights organization, All Out, has delivered a petition signed by 320,000 to the IOC urging a repeal of the law.  The group has also created a video, showcasing the effects of the law, ending with the words, “What if living your dream meant living a lie?” flashed across the screen.  It can be viewed at AllOut.org.  Athlete Ally, another gay rights organization, with supporters such as 3-time MLB MVP Yogi Berra, has also delivered a petition to the IOC with 300,000 signatures. To back their protest, in response to the IOC’s refusal to take action, Athlete Ally stated on their website, AltheteAlly.org, “Since when does a law that discriminates against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation – or any other basis – “respect” the Olympic Charter?”
Whether or not the law will impact those of the gay community in Russia during the Games is unclear, but for now it seems that Americans will participate in the Sochi Olympics.  Despite disagreement, the upcoming 2014 Sochi Winter Games are sure to be a monumental event for people worldwide.