UK and US Leaders Rule Out Olympic Boycott

British Prime Minister David Cameron has taken to Twitter to responded to calls the 2013 Winter Olympic Games to be cancelled. The Prime Minister posted a tweet reading, “I believe we can better challenge prejudice as we attend, rather than boycotting the Winter Olympics.”

The Prime Minister’s comment comes days after British writer and gay rights activist Stephen Fry called for the games to be cancelled due to Russia’s growing intolerance of gay people. Fry likened Russian leader Vladamir Putin and the countries anti-gay propaganda laws to the way Hitler treated Jewish people before World War II.

Earlier this week US President Barack Obama spoke out the issue when appearing on the ‘Jay Leno Tonight Show’ but in a press conference on Friday also ruled out a ban of the event.

”I want to just make very clear right now, I do not think it’s appropriate to boycott the Olympics,” said Obama.

The President said there were many athlete’s preparing for the event and he hoped that some LGBT athletes from American would win medals at the games.

”One of the things I’m really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold, silver or bronze, which would I think go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that we’re seeing there.”

OIP Staff