Former NBA star John Amaechi disagrees with gay rights activists
calling for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi over a Russian
law that prohibits “gay propaganda.”
The 42-year-old Amaechi, who came out gay after his retirement
from professional basketball in 2007, made his remarks during an
appearance on Gaydio radio's Chris
and Emma at Breakfast.
“Asking for a boycott is a very principled thing to do. I am
with Stephen [Fry] in that the sentiment is absolutely correct. I
just don't think it's practical. And I want to be clear … it's a
sad thing that it's not practical because it means that people with
great power have somehow lost sight of their lofty principles,”
Amaechi
said, referring to British actor Fry, who
had asked for the games to be moved to another country in an open
letter.
“If you look at those principles, the Olympics shouldn't even be
in Russia in the first place.”
He added that he supports athletes speaking out on the issue.
“I think there's no point in being a person who can command
microphones of journalists and media outlets across the world if you
are not going to stand up for the important things. Do we really
want to be in a position where athletes only ever stand up to sell
their shoes? … It should be for things that are important.”