Last week, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach referred to Russia’s stance on homosexuality as a political issue and chastised countries who were using the Olympics to shine an unflattering light on Russian president Vladimir Putin.
This comment shows you how out of touch the IOC hierarchy is with the real world.
Equality is not a political issue, it is a fundamental human right.
Equality should exist regardless of political stripe.
In an attempt to not offend Putin, Bach missed an opportunity to show support for the athletes he represents.
Without the athletes, there would be no Olympic Games, there would be no IOC and Mr. Bach would be doing something else.
But the blame lies not only with the president of the IOC.
Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut encouraged Canadian athletes to park their opinions at the door and focus on competing and winning.
The athletes themselves have also missed an important opportunity.
Some Canadian athletes have also said the matter is distracting and they need to focus on their competition.
In other words, doing or saying anything at the moment is inconvenient.
Life is inconvenient, things happen all the time.
How convenient is it right now to be an LGBTQ athlete or citizen in Russia?
On the other hand the Olympic team from Greece wore rainbow-coloured gloves.
Kudos to them for a simple but important gesture.
Go Canada Go — if it’s convenient.
