Cold Start To Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, won't be the basis for another Cold War between Russia and the United States, but relations are certainly already running cold between the two nations over the winter games.
At issue, foremost, are their policies on gay rights.
Gay "Propaganda"
In 2013, Russia banned what it calls gay "propaganda." That term is more than a little vague, and gay rights activists around the world are nervous about it.
Does it mean T-shirts, movies, books, and posters, or does it include hand-holding in public, or kissing?
And does the ban extend to winter games athletes about to visit -- indeed, live in -- Sochi for up to two weeks in February?
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials have assured the rest of the world that visiting athletes are safe to practice their lifestyles while in Russia.
Maybe so, but even Russia's anti-gay stance goes against the prevailing liberal mood of most of the West.
A Snub By The U.S.
Thus, the United States delivered a calculated slap-in-the-face to Russia when it announced its presidential delegations to the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.
Attending the opening ceremonies will be Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California; Michael McFaul, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation; Robert Nabors, White House deputy chief of staff for policy; Billie Jean King, tennis legend and member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nurtrition; and Brian Boitano, Olympic gold medalist in figure skating.
Attending the closing ceremonies will be William J. Burns, deputy secretary of state; McFaul; Bonnie Blair, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating; Caitlin Cahow, Olympic silver and bronze medalist in ice hockey, and Eric Heiden, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating.
King and Cahow have been openly gay for some time. Boitano came out as gay soon after the mid-December announcement of the delegations.
Not only are the delegation choices notable for whom they include, but for whom they don't -- no president, vice-president, or members of their families. That's a first in recent Olympic memory.
When Is A Snub Not A Snub?
White House spokesperson Jay Carney tried to spin the delegation as something other than the snub it is to Russia.
He said:
But of course, Carney can see through his spin as well as we can. He added:
Other Issues?
Yes, it hasn't been a very good year for the U.S. and Russia, and the president's decision not to attend the games reflects not only his irritation with Russia's LGBT stance, but some other things as well.
Those include Russia allowing NSA leaker Edward Snowden refuge within its borders, and Russian intransigence while trying to find solutions to the ongoing civil war in Syria.
The Olympic Committee would like to proclaim that the games are not politicized, but of course that's not so. From Jesse Owens beating the Nazis, to the Miracle on Ice, to the boycott of 1980, the Olympics have been rife with politics.
The 2014 Winter Games are off to the same kind of start.
Sources:
White House, Delegation Announcement, December 17, 2013, and Press Briefing, December 18, 2013. Accessed December 27, 2013.
At issue, foremost, are their policies on gay rights.
Gay "Propaganda"
In 2013, Russia banned what it calls gay "propaganda." That term is more than a little vague, and gay rights activists around the world are nervous about it.
Does it mean T-shirts, movies, books, and posters, or does it include hand-holding in public, or kissing?
And does the ban extend to winter games athletes about to visit -- indeed, live in -- Sochi for up to two weeks in February?
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials have assured the rest of the world that visiting athletes are safe to practice their lifestyles while in Russia.
Maybe so, but even Russia's anti-gay stance goes against the prevailing liberal mood of most of the West.
A Snub By The U.S.
Thus, the United States delivered a calculated slap-in-the-face to Russia when it announced its presidential delegations to the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.
Attending the opening ceremonies will be Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California; Michael McFaul, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation; Robert Nabors, White House deputy chief of staff for policy; Billie Jean King, tennis legend and member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nurtrition; and Brian Boitano, Olympic gold medalist in figure skating.
Attending the closing ceremonies will be William J. Burns, deputy secretary of state; McFaul; Bonnie Blair, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating; Caitlin Cahow, Olympic silver and bronze medalist in ice hockey, and Eric Heiden, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating.
King and Cahow have been openly gay for some time. Boitano came out as gay soon after the mid-December announcement of the delegations.
Not only are the delegation choices notable for whom they include, but for whom they don't -- no president, vice-president, or members of their families. That's a first in recent Olympic memory.
When Is A Snub Not A Snub?
White House spokesperson Jay Carney tried to spin the delegation as something other than the snub it is to Russia.
He said:
I think that this delegation brings attention to the remarkable diversity of the United States as well as the success that the United States has had in sports, both at the Olympics and beyond. It is also a demonstration of high-level success and civic activism as well as in government service. And the President is proud to have this delegation both to the opening and to the closing ceremonies represent our nation and our government at a games that will obviously, as they also do, have the attention of the world.
But of course, Carney can see through his spin as well as we can. He added:
I would simply say that that’s not a message we would wait to send through this manner. We have been very clear, the President has been very clear that he finds it offensive, the anti-LGBT legislation in Russia, for example. And we take very clear and strong stands on that issue, as well as the curtailment of civil society in Russia, as well as the harassment caused to those who protest corruption in Russia. And the issues we have with Russia we are very upfront about.
Other Issues?
Yes, it hasn't been a very good year for the U.S. and Russia, and the president's decision not to attend the games reflects not only his irritation with Russia's LGBT stance, but some other things as well.
Those include Russia allowing NSA leaker Edward Snowden refuge within its borders, and Russian intransigence while trying to find solutions to the ongoing civil war in Syria.
The Olympic Committee would like to proclaim that the games are not politicized, but of course that's not so. From Jesse Owens beating the Nazis, to the Miracle on Ice, to the boycott of 1980, the Olympics have been rife with politics.
The 2014 Winter Games are off to the same kind of start.
Sources:
White House, Delegation Announcement, December 17, 2013, and Press Briefing, December 18, 2013. Accessed December 27, 2013.
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