Pride Sports, the UK’s leading group for LGBT particpation in sport, has joined other LGBT sports campaigners internationally to call for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to set up a Pride House in Sochi in 2014.
Despite the Russian ban on the promotion – or even mention of homosexuality and the subsequent violence and intimidation delivered on LGBT individuals by far right vigilante groups, the group’s leader argues that boycotting the Winter games is not the way forward. Such a move would deny people the opportunity to participate in sports that they have been practising for years and would therefore impact negatively on the wrong people.
Instead, says the group, the IOC, which is the coordinating body and therefore chose Sochi as the preferred host for the event, has a responsibilty to protect its LGBT athletes and needs to demonstrate that responsibility by doing the right thing and setting up a safe and comfortable house for LGBT athletes, partners, friends and spectators.
Lou Englefield, chair of pride Sports, was interviewed on Radio 5 Live on Saturday the 2nd of August. The interview can be heard here