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Olympics adds ‘sexual orientation’ to charter

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MONACO (BP) — The International Olympic Committee has added “sexual orientation” to the Olympic Charter. The IOC decision comes after pressure from gay advocacy groups following Russia’s prohibition of “gay propaganda” during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The change, part of a 40-point reform package pushed by IOC President Thomas Bach, passed by a unanimous 96-0 vote by the international committee Dec. 8 in Monaco.

The IOC reworded a clause in one of its “Fundamental Principles of Olympism” to state: “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political, or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.”

Countries hoping to host the games must abide by the Olympic Charter. Opponents of the change say the new standard will mean countries bidding for the Olympics will be required to have pro-homosexual laws in place. This may affect bids from the two finalists for the 2022 Winter Games: Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Beijing, China. The United States Olympic Committee has decided to make a bid for the 2024 Summer Games, recommending Boston as the host city.

While the long-term effect is still unknown, the IOC vote did not come as much of a surprise.

“I would expect the international sports community to go down this road,” said Tim Pitcher, spokesman for the Christian organization Athletes in Action.

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Asked whether Olympic athletes could face discrimination for their beliefs, Pitcher said Christian Olympians have to walk a fine line. They must figure out how to appropriately live out and share their Christian faith, he said, while abiding by their league’s guidelines.

Many think pressure to accept transgendered individuals is the next step for the IOC, an issue Pitcher calls “Pandora’s box.”

Numerous gay rights organizations celebrated the IOC decision to embrace sexual orientation. Hudson Taylor, executive director of the gay rights group Athlete Ally, said after the IOC vote, “There is no greater sign of progress in combating homophobia in sports than to have the oldest organized athletic competition in the history of the world saying enough is enough.”

IOC member Barry Maister from New Zealand, asked how the IOC would enforce the new principle, said he had no idea.

“But I think the IOC often does things it can’t enforce yet can take a leadership role with,” Maister told the Chicago Tribune. “It can articulate and advocate and push for change regardless of the implementation of it. It’s the logical thing to do in today’s world.”