Russia has rewritten the Olympic truce, a resolution that the United Nations adopts every two years, to reflect its concessions to the gay movement. Russia is the host of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, and have been targeted by other nations because of its recent law banning “propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships” which was signed by President Vladimir V. Putin in June. Because the rough draft did not include any references to the LGBT population as it referenced the inclusion of “people of different age, sex, physical capacity, religion, race and social status,” representatives and officials from the United Nations pushed for Russia to include a change of language including the LGBT population.
Russia added that they would “promote social inclusion without discrimination of any kind.” Iakovos Iakovidis, a Greek UN member who was instrumental in forcing Russia to capitulate, said, “I think it’s a very good outcome, and I think the Russians want to have a consensus to adopt this. I think people will be happy with this.” Iona Thomas, a spokeswoman for the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations, echoed, “Along with like-minded partners, the United Kingdom is keen to see principles of nondiscrimination included in the Olympic Truce resolution.”
Normally, the truce simply calls for the world to let athletes and their guests travel in safety during the Games, and urges the world to replace the “cycle of conflict” with “friendly athletic competition.”
The Olympic truce was originated in the eighth century B.C. In 1992, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) renewed the tradition and called for nations worldwide to observe the Truce.
Notably, the newly elected president of the International Olympic Committee, John Bach, joined with Jacques Rogge, who was then the head of the IOC, to lead the IOC’s refusal to hold a moment of silence at the 2012 Summer Olympics to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympic games massacre of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team by Palestinian terrorists.
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