If I was part of a squad going to these countries – I would go there as a gay man and be the best at what I was doing and prove that their laws can not stop me at being the best I can be in my sport. Athletes often only have one chance to be the best and they have worked so hard to get there that nothing should hold them back.”
— Out former rugby champ Gareth Thomas in an interview with Youtube’s sports channel Sportlobster TV
H/t: GayStarNews
MikeE
Since he ISN’T going, all I can say is “good for him”?
I think a lot of these LGBT athletes could learn a lesson or two from Wentworth Miller.
Fitz
So hard when someone you admire turns out to be a self serving douche. Maybe we need a spoiler alert.. we have so few honorable public gay men.
He’s not hot anymore. I don’t care how he looks, he has the heart of a Kapo.
Palmer Scott
Lost a lot of respect for this man just now.
The protests, the boycotts aren’t about the athletes and their “safety” (does anyone REALLY think Putin is stupid enough to allow anything to happen to anyone during these damned games?)!
It’s about the LGBT population of Russia and the blatant scapegoating of them in order to placate the vicious radical religious bigots!
jimbryant
I honestly don’t believe that Gareth is gay. A gay man truly caares about the plight of his fellow gays. A gay man will protest and agitate for change.
So what is Gareth. I think he’s a penis addict. Penis addicts mostly want to have fun.
Kieran
If we were going to boycott every country where the sickness of homophobia is evident…..we’d have to boycott every Olympic games…including the Olympics that were held in hill-Billy Georgia.
KDub
Good for him. He’s got the right attitude. A lot of you crybabies should take note. You have to be a special kind of fool to think limiting yourself is proving a point to your opposition.
Fitz
KDub, it’s not abut limiting yourself to prove a point.. it’s about not making money & bringing prestige to someone who makes life hellish for gay people. There should be consequences to advocating locking people up for wearing a rainbow flag, removing their children from them, firing them from jobs, etc. This is no trivial minor matter… what’s happening in Eastern Europe is very serious, and many of us fear it is a starting point, not an ending point.
CoolBeansandChili
It’s one thing for someone like Wentworth Miller or Cher to boycott working in Russia. For them, they would’ve been in Russia for a simple gig. But for these athletes, it’s a completely different story. All of them have worked in their respective sport for nearly their entire lives to compete in the Olympics. A chance to represent your nation, and possibly win a medal, is a dream. I can’t imagine they would ever think to just put that aside for injustices that are out of their control. Yes, on a level their ambition is selfish. But, to demand that they give up their opportunity is a tad selfish on our part. What are we giving up in this?
We have to remember where the blame goes for these grave injustices against our brothers and sisters. It belongs to the government of Russia. Their accomplices are people and corporations within and outside of Russia who use our money to support the country. They are the ones who deserve our anger and superior trolling skills. We should support our athletes to excel even more now, so that they can be proof that free life is possible, despite the stranglehold of oppression.
balehead
Go anyways and be visible Gareth….otherwise it’s just more media hoing…
vocodr
Another whore trying to justify whoredom.
MarkHm
The fact that it would be a big sacrifice does not make it less important, it makes it MORE important. Going means supporting the Russia, and telling the IOC that it doesn’t matter that they chose a country with a dangerous new anti gay agenda.
For the rest of their lives, the gay athletes that go will be “part of the problem”, the fact that we have become so selfish and easily mollified. If we don’t give a crap about each other, we have no chance.
crowebobby
If I found a lottery ticket worth $300,000,000 I would find the person who lost it, return it and refuse any reward. Aren’t I wonderful?!
crowebobby
If I found a lottery ticket worth $300,000,000 I would find the person who lost it, return it and refuse any reward. Aren’t I wonderful?! Oh, ya, and the Nazis would never have gotten me into a cattle car!
2eo
The simple fact is the Sochi olympics brings legitimacy to the Russian campaign of atrocities.
It lends credence and an enormous influx of money, sponsorship and power to the governments in power.
People remember Jesse Owens, but what they don’t remember is the enormous success of the olympics bringing in hundreds of millions into Germany and nearly entirely funding their Blitzkreig and Luftwaffe expansion.
It’s a short sighted and unbelievably selfish attitude by those against a boycott.
Stache1
@2eo: Very well put.
MikeE
@CoolBeansandChili: Why are so many people acting as though the olympic games are the ONLY competition in the world?
These athletes prepare all year, and they participate in world events all year. The olympics is one big shindig every 4 years. And every 4 years people go on about how the olympics are over-rated anyway and they are tainted by drug scandals and judging corruption.
So who cares about the olympics?
They aren’t the thing that all these athletes have been “training all their lives for”. They’re just one of many.
Athletes who put themselves first are selfish and greedy. They’re not “noble” for going to the olympics. They’re accomplices of a hateful homophobic governmental regime.
viveutvivas
There would be some merit in going if the athletes go and actively disobey the IOC by making visible statements in favor of gay rights on broadcast TV.
showertile
Did you call for a boycott of the Beijing games over Chinese labor laws? Did you call for a boycott of the Salt Lake Games because it was run by Mormons? Are you going to boycott the Rio games over the mistreatment of the poor? The thing is, the olympics are supposed to be on the world stage, bring every nation in the world together, and be a beacon for peace. To say a fellow gay man is turning his back on us by attending is ignorant, selfish, and short sighted. Russia gets their way if there are no gay folks at Sochi, we can’t let that happen. We should encourage gay athletes to attend and kick ass!
Fitz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwT2aU95_JA
CoolBeansandChili
@MikeE:
I never heard an athlete dismiss the world competition steeped in rich HUMAN history.
I agree that the athletes aren’t exactly noble. But, I think instead of just writing them off as completely uncaring, we should encourage the out athletes to be “Loud and Proud” if they feel they must compete.
A question just came to me: Wouldn’t we boycott EVERY country that held the Olympics for Human Rights violations?