Gay athletes and fans attending the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, won't be targeted under new laws that criminalize homosexuality, the International Olympic Committee said today. From the Russian website R-Sport:

"As a sporting organization, what we can do is to continue to work to ensure that the Games can take place without discrimination against athletes, officials, spectators and the media," the IOC said in an emailed statement.

"To that end, the IOC has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games."

The IOC added that "this legislation has just been passed into law, and it remains to be seen whether and how it will be implemented, particularly as regards the Games in Sochi."

This is an obvious attempt by the IOC to defuse what is becoming a serious issue, as calls come forward to boycott the Games because of the anti-gay legislation.

To show you how bad the new Russian law against "homosexual propaganda" is, this was at the beginning of the R-Sport report:

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