Principle 6 #Sochi2014

We are only 10 days away from the first qualification events in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. The following day, Friday 7th February as we lead up to the opening ceremony I will be wearing a Principle 6 T-shirt as a mark that although I support the individual athletes I do not think it is right that a nation that fails to uphold Olympic Principle 6 in the day to day live of its citizens in a fitting situation in which to hold the Games.

So what does Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter state?

6. Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race,religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.

Yet we are heading to Sochi, in Russia that does discriminate in the otherwise category. There is a law on the books against the promotion on non-traditional family values. In other words the LGBT community do not fit into that "ideal". Today the Mayor of Sochi, while saying he is happy to welcome gay people to his city believes they will be the first gay people ever there.

Seeing as Sochi is also a Russian resort town the odds are that this is not the case.

Seeing as Sochi has a population of ⅓ million people the probability is that there are some currently living there or who have done in the past (possibly even the near recent past). That would be a city the size of Belfast, in a nation that has only had homosexual activity legalised for  about a decade less than here in Northern Ireland. So you would have to put it at about a decade ago Northern Ireland visibility, although maybe a bit further back when you consider the way that homophobia there has existed for a number of years.

Also seeing as there are gay and gay friendly clubs in Sochi, who is going there.

I'm just waiting for the first LGBT residents in Sochi to go up to the Mayor's office to introduce themselves.