The fewer days are left before the opening of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, the more talk and controversy flares up around the upcoming event. One of the most pressing questions of recent days: will American athletes come to Sochi?
US President Barack Obama opposes a possible boycott of the Sochi Olympics. Despite the disagreement of the American president with a number of changes in Russian legislation, he does not consider it necessary to refuse to participate in the Games. The President noted that many American athletes are seriously preparing for the upcoming competitions, and he supports their interests. In his opinion, the United States and Russia need to look forward and not look back. At the same time, Barack Obama once again emphasized his disagreement with the Russian policy aimed at oppressing people with non-traditional sexual orientation. The President recalled that many athletes who will take part in the upcoming Olympics are gays and lesbians. "And if Russia wants to maintain the Olympic spirit, it will have to be judged solely by the results on the track or in the pool, and sexual orientation should have nothing to do with this," Obama said.
Who needs a boycott of the Sochi Olympics?
Senator-Republican Lindsay Graham made a proposal to refuse to participate in the Sochi Olympics. In his opinion, such a decision will make it clear to the Russian side that its actions go beyond all limits. The United States has at least several possible reasons for a boycott. Among them are the oppression of the Russian opposition, and the restriction of the activities of NGOs, and the support of Bashar al-Assad, and the infringement of the rights of sexual minorities, and the ban on the adoption of children by American families, and the violation of the rights of the inhabitants of the North Caucasus. The last straw, according to the senator, was Russia's decision to grant political asylum to ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Lessons from the 1980 Olympics
Back in 1980, the Olympic Games held in Moscow were boycotted by 65 countries, including the United States. Then the cause of dissatisfaction on the part of the United States was the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. The representative of the US National Olympic Committee, Patrick Sandusky, noted that the refusal to participate in the Moscow Olympics did not in any way affect the resolution of the conflict between the countries. At the same time, dozens of American athletes lost the opportunity to represent their country at the Olympics. In his opinion, the main lesson of the 1980 boycott is that boycotts do not work.
