The United States Olympic Committee added a ban on discrimination against sexual orientation to its official bylaws on Friday, formally throwing support behind LGBT rights ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The move was made in clear opposition to Russia's anti-gay legislation, which has been a point of contention leading up to February's Games. It was announced at the USOC Assembly on Friday.
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U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun said that while the United States will not fight Russia'a anti-gay legislation, that doesn't mean they will adhere to it. “The fact that we do not think it is our role to advocate for a change in the Russian law does not mean that we support the law, and we do not,” Blackmun said.
"We have told our athletes, your athletes, where we stand and we have given them the freedom to express themselves in the run-up to the Games however they see fit."
The @USOlympic board voted to revise the non-discrimination policy within the code of conduct of its bylaws to include sexual orientation.
— U.S. Olympic News (@USOlympicNews) October 11, 2013
The revised “Commitment to Integrity” section of the USOC Code of Conduct now reads:
The USOC expects you to conduct yourself in an ethical and legal manner as a representative of the USOC. This requires you to:
Respect the rights of all individuals to fair treatment and equal opportunity, free from discrimination or harassment of any type, including, without limitation discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or otherwise.
In his address, Blackmun mentioned specific athletes, such as skier Bode Miller and distance runner Nick Symmonds, who have both been outspoken about the Russian laws. The International Olympic Committee has a rule that bans any "demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” from “any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.” Blackmun said the USOC is seeking more information on how this rule will be implemented in Sochi.
Join me & @AthleteAlly to ask IOC to uphold #Principle6 and support the #LGBT community in Russia :http://t.co/bkfjLOWblM
— Nick Symmonds (@NickSymmonds) October 9, 2013
Do you think the U.S. Olympic Committee is doing enough to fight Russia's anti-gay legislation? Tell us in the comments, below.
Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images