President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge has told the Washington Post that the IOC has no influence over Russia’s controversial anti-gay laws but the Russian government has assured him the games will be hosted in a way that reflect the Olympic charter.
“We have received some oral and written assurances about the fact the Russian Federation will respect the Olympic charter and no negative effect will occur for people attending in or participating in the Games. But one should not forget that we are staging the games in a sovereign state, and the IOC cannot be expected to have an influence on the sovereign affairs of a country,” said Mr Rogge.
Mr Rogge’s statement comes at the same time as Greens Leader Christine Milne received a formal response to her call for the Sochi Winter Olympics to be taken away from Russia.
The Star Observer has revealed that the Director General of the IOC, Christophe de Kepper, wrote to Milne explaining that the games take many years to organise and cancelling at this stage was not practical.
Earlier this year Russia introduced new laws which make it illegal to promote ‘non traditional relationships’ to people under 18 years of age. The introduction of the laws has been linked to a rise in homophobic behavior and assaults in the country.
Activists are now calling on the Games major sponsors such as McDonalds and Coca Cola to withdraw their support.
OIP Staff
