Sochi and the boycott

[foreversarah]

So we are well into the Olympics and obviously the political side has been rather noticeable.

Many, including Stephen Fry, have called for a boycott. I am not one of them. I love most sport. I love watching it and I love participating in it (recreationally or competitively).

However over the last two or three weeks I have seen several comments of people saying that if you watch the Olympics then you are supporting Russia's laws etc.

Now this is COMPLETELY wrong. I do not support them, but because I love sport I am being labelled wrongly. It's fine if others want to protest by boycotting the games but don't label others for not boycotting.

Also, while Russia's anti-gay laws are appalling, why wasn't there a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games with their appalling Human Rights record?

In my opinion sport and politics should remain separated.

[Pia Bianca]

In my opinion sport and politics should remain separated.

While I Generally support what you write, I must object against the quoted part. Sport influences politics and should be. Sport breaks barriers, breaks through national borders and builds bridges. Isn't it for sports when heterosexual men hug each other for no reason except a goal? And they don't feel ashamed at all. Isn't that something we could dwell on?

While I'd also say that nobody should be labelled because (s)he likes sports and supports Sochi, you shouldn't call sports and politics seperated. They aren't.