Should players, sports organizations, or the whole COC boycott the Sochi Olympics?

[East Coast Flame]

Originally Posted by nik-

If China wasn't boycotted, Russia shouldn't be.

Just because they screwed up before, doesn't make it ok this time. They shouldn't have held the games in China and they shouldn't hold the games in Russia.

[troutman]

An Open Letter to David Cameron and the IOC

Stephen Fry

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/step...nada&ir=Canada

[troutman]

Vodka Boycott: Calgary, Edmonton Bars Dump Booze To Protest Anti-Gay Laws

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/08...n_3721194.html


George Takei Signs Petition To Move Olympics From Sochi To Vancouver

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/08...n_3720928.html

[valo403]

Originally Posted by nik-

If China wasn't boycotted, Russia shouldn't be.

What does a past error have to do with future actions? Should we be barred from boycotting any future event simply because we didn't do it with one previously?

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by troutman

Vodka Boycott: Calgary, Edmonton Bars Dump Booze To Protest Anti-Gay Laws

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/08...n_3721194.html

Cool gesture, but you'd think people would take 10 seconds and make sure that Stoli and Smirnoff were actually made in Russia or owned by Russians....

[JohnnyB]

Canada symbolizes acceptance of all types in my mind. That's what Canada is about to me. I wouldn't mind the athletes taking a strong visible stand in protest of that Russian law. I would support that. One of the problems with persecution is dealing with the question of who takes responsibility though, as LGBT athletes themselves may not want to sacrifice their one big chance at a medal and the COC probably wouldn't want to risk being considered responsible for any of the athletes missing their chance either.

Quite a conundrum. Better to stand up in defense of LGBT rights and lose the opportunity to compete, or comply with discrimination and chase a long term dream?

[polak]

Originally Posted by East Coast Flame

Lots of bars around North America (including Calgary) are banning Russian Vodkas to protest the anti-gay laws.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/...646/story.html

lol except people have no clue who owns these vodka's.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Canada symbolizes acceptance of all types in my mind. That's what Canada is about to me. I wouldn't mind the athletes taking a strong visible stand in protest of that Russian law. I would support that. One of the problems with persecution is dealing with the question of who takes responsibility though, as LGBT athletes themselves may not want to sacrifice their one big chance at a medal and the COC probably wouldn't want to risk being considered responsible for any of the athletes missing their chance either.

Quite a conundrum. Better to stand up in defense of LGBT rights and lose the opportunity to compete, or comply with discrimination and chase a long term dream?

Sometimes doing the right thing sucks. But you still do it.

I think a boycott is completely appropriate.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Sometimes doing the right thing sucks. But you still do it.

I think a boycott is completely appropriate.

I still say it rings hollow after no boycott of China.

[Nage Waza]

We compete against athletes/nations all the time that are racist or hateful.

Israeli athletes often cannot compete at events or athletes refuse to compete against them.

If Canada was to boycott Sochi, we would have to boycott many other events if we used the same criteria.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Cool gesture, but you'd think people would take 10 seconds and make sure that Stoli and Smirnoff were actually made in Russia or owned by Russians....

Agreed. It kind of reeks of "slacktivism".

I'm not much for vodka or caviar though, and I seriously can't think of anything else that I could buy (or not buy, as the case may be) from Russia. What the hell else do they produce that is available here? Mink coats? Funny hats? Cheap army boots? Tony Soprano's girlfriend? I just don't know!

These laws that they have introduced are insane, but I know I'm powerless to do anything about it, other than bitching on this message board.

Makes me a little queasy knowing that taxpayer money (in the form of CBC) is going to the Russians and the crooks (no doubt they are crooks) who will be profiting from these Olympics, but I'll still watch.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

We compete against athletes/nations all the time that are racist or hateful.

Israeli athletes often cannot compete at events or athletes refuse to compete against them.

If Canada was to boycott Sochi, we would have to boycott many other events if we used the same criteria.

This!!

Plus do you really think that a boycott would change anything? On top of what I mentioned earlier about a lot of countries that won't care about LGBT rights and won't boycott (wouldn't be surprised if the USA was included in that) which will sort of take away a lot of the impact of Canada and other small countries sitting out, It's not just Russian politicians that want this law, it's the majority of Russia too. You're basically just giving them the finger at the cost of many athletes life long dreams.

It's a stupid idea really.

The only upside is that Canada is actually one the best winter nations so that might make it a bigger deal outside of home but really, it'd have to be a big boycott to become more than a footnote and I don't see it becoming one.

Here's a list of countries where gay marriage is legal across the board and would possibly be in for a boycott if it were to happen:

Argentina
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Denmark
France
Iceland
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
South Africa
Spain
Sweden

Of those countries only Canada, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and France are actual players in the winter games and only France is a major player in Global politics. MAYBE Canada if you want to stretch it but I seriously doubt the Russians care if we're pissed at them.

If you could manage to some how strip them of the games, then you might be on to something but that would be a ridiculously bold move by the IOC, especially at this point.

[SebC]

Part of me thinks that moving the games would be great, while another part thinks that keeping them there but having them lose a ton of money (through a sponsor/tourist boycott) and their law undermined (through gay athletes winning and such) would be better.

[MarchHare]

I think an enforced boycott isn't fair to the athletes who have trained their whole life for these games, but I'd be all for individual competitors choosing to boycott on their own accord. I know the winter games aren't as high profile, but can you imagine the statement it would make if a superstar like Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps had boycotted the summer games?

What I'd really love is to see an openly gay athlete win a gold medal and then pull off his/her shirt on the podium to reveal a rainbow flag or similar. They'd be remembered in history like Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin games.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

They'd be remembered in history like Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin games.

Originally Posted by nik-

If China wasn't boycotted, Russia shouldn't be.

If Nazi ######ing Germany wasn't boycotted by Canada or the US, then nothing should ever be boycotted ever again!

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by chemgear

If Nazi ######ing Germany wasn't boycotted by Canada or the US, then nothing should ever be boycotted ever again!

hindsight on that one - it be another 10 years before anyone really knew what they were up too

[Derek Sutton]

At this point there is no way the Games could be moved, we are only 6months out. As for a boycott, that would suit the Russians just fine, more gold medals for them. An Olympic boycott may have been part of Putins motivation all along. I don't think, with the games so close, it would be fair to announce an all out boycott. However, should individual athletes wish to boycott, that would be fine, however no alternate would be allowed to take it.

The NHLPA could be a big player in this and I could see them encouraging a boycott by the NHL players. The "You Can Play" project is all about ending homophobia. The NHLer's are the highest profile athletes there and have the least to lose by boycotting the games.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

We compete against athletes/nations all the time that are racist or hateful.

Israeli athletes often cannot compete at events or athletes refuse to compete against them.

If Canada was to boycott Sochi, we would have to boycott many other events if we used the same criteria.

No we wouldn't.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by flameswin

No we wouldn't.

So a hosting nation basically bans homosexuality so we boycott them. A nation that bans Jewish athletes we wouldn't boycott? Or an athlete that refuses to play against Jewish people?

Obviously we wouldn't have to, but we would look like fools if we didn't.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

So a hosting nation basically bans homosexuality so we boycott them. A nation that bans Jewish athletes we wouldn't boycott? Or an athlete that refuses to play against Jewish people?

Obviously we wouldn't have to, but we would look like fools if we didn't.

We be a country, we be doin' whatever we feel. We feel like boycotting a sh**ty homophobic host county? We be doin' it. We don't be boycotting some other country for some other thing, then we ain't be boycotting them. The whole time, we still be Canada, and we be doin' our thing, and that thing is whatever we want. We be Canada.