NBC on Saturday said that its decision
to edit anti-discrimination remarks made by International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach during the opening ceremony of
the Sochi Games was due to time constraints.
The sports website Deadspin.com
headlined the story: NBC Edited Out IOC Anti-Discrimination
Statement From Opening Ceremony.
In the excluded passage, Bach touched
on Russia's controversial anti-gay law: “It is possible, even as
competitors, to live together under one roof in harmony, with
tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever
reason.”
However, Bach made his point more than
once, and NBC did air those remarks.
“The IOC's president was edited for
time, as were other speeches, but his message got across very clearly
to viewers,” an NBC spokesperson told Deadline.com.