Openly gay tennis legend Martina
Navratilova believes it will be impossible to separate sport from
politics at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Next month's games are being
overshadowed by Russia's new anti-gay law, which prohibits the
promotion of “gay propaganda” to minors.
Navratilova accused the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) of ignoring the issue.
“The athletes are told by the IOC to
not make any protests, any statements, and really separate the
politics from sport, which is impossible,” Navratilova said. “It's
a controversial situation there and it will be interesting how it all
unfurls. But the biggest issue for gay people living in Russia is
not what's going to happen during the Olympics, it's about what
happens before and also after the Olympics.”
“You wouldn't let a dog get beat up
and yet human beings get beat up simply for who they are. We know
those laws are going to change eventually but right now it's a very
unfriendly climate,” she
added.