RUSSIA: OLYMPICS - Olympic village Mayor says no discrimination against gays in Sochi as Russians will pretend to be tolerant

Record ID: 278032

  • Title: RUSSIA: OLYMPICS - Olympic village Mayor says no discrimination against gays in Sochi as Russians will pretend to be tolerant
  • Date: 27th January 2014
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JANUARY 27, 2014) (REUTERS) SOCHI OLYMPIC VILLAGE MAYOR, OLYMPIC CHAMPION SVETLANA ZHUROVA ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERA OPERATORS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SOCHI OLYMPIC VILLAGE MAYOR, OLYMPIC CHAMPION SVETLANA ZHUROVA, SAYING: "We in Russia still believe that a real man can never be tolerant to this. You can try and change this - go on and try, I will
  • Embargoed: 11th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3GMXJ45VTBOSD40EMRWTEUU48
  • Story Text: The ceremonial mayor of the Olympic village at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova said on Monday (January 27) that there will be no discrimination against gays at the Sochi Olympics but mentioned that Russians will have to pretend to be tolerant.
    Zhurova, who is also the first deputy chairman of the international affairs committee at Russia's parliament, said that the Russian society is not ready to be tolerant to gay people.

    "We in Russia still believe that a real man can never be tolerant to this. You can try and change this - go on and try, I will watch. So far it is probably very difficult," Zhurova said at a news conference in Moscow 11 days before the opening ceremony.
    She said though that Russian will pretend to be tolerant so they can hold successful Olympics.

    "A real man can come to a conclusion though - that if for some political purposes he needs to be more tolerant then he will be more tolerant. If it's not necessary then he will be more aggressive - if his standing, his job or his media profile does not depend on this. For instance I can say (what I think) but then media will simply attack me and say how dare I speak like that. So it turns out I have to be more tolerant here," said Zhurova.
    Recently adopted Russia's law prohibiting the spread of homosexual propaganda among minors caused international criticism, including from some athletes. Opinion polls show the legislation is widely supported within Russia though.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin regards the Winter Olympics in Sochi as an opportunity to show that Russia is a modern state capable of holding international sports events successfully.
    But the anti-gay propaganda law, which is part of the conservative course taken by Putin since he returned to the presidency in 2012, has prompted calls for a boycott of the Sochi Olympics.
    Zhurova said that however people in Russia may not like it there will be no discrimination against gay people in Sochi.

    "It is very fashionable now to be like this (tolerant). And I don't like it, this pretending. But at the same time, there is a fact and the Olympic Charter says there should be no any discrimination," she said.

    "Everything will be absolutely normal and peaceful. There have never been any problems neither for gays, nor for girls at any Olympics and there will be none now," Zhurova added.
    Zhurova is one of three ceremonial mayors of the Olympic village in Sochi.
    Another mayor, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, caused a major controversy last year after her comments in favour of Russia's new gay law.

    "We consider ourselves, like normal, standard people, we just live boys with women, girls with boys ... it comes from the history," she had said at the time. "I hope the problem won't ruin our Olympic Games in Sochi."
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