Here's the thing. When it came to the liberation of South Africa from white-only rule and dismantling the outrageous system of apartheid, sport played a wonderful role. Through the imposition of sanctions from the early 1970s onwards, sport was able to very publicly isolate a country that granted voting power and human rights according to skin pigmentation alone.

Yes, there were economic sanctions too, but while there was always a way to get around those and get oil, Massey Ferguson tractor parts and hydraulic gauges from the black market if you had to, there was no such black market in sport. With only one genuine set of Wallabies, All Blacks and Tricolores to go around, when they said they wouldn't play against the Springboks while apartheid was still in existence - even if it took 20 years - it kept the pressure on. Most importantly, it highlighted the fact South Africa could not take its place in the family of nations when it treated its own citizens in such an abominable fashion.

Jailable offence: The Russian consulate in Vancouver was targeted during a day of protest against the new laws. Credit:AP

So why doesn't sport do exactly the same thing when it comes to Russia now? I refer to that country's appalling anti-gay laws and the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi. As highlighted by my Fairfax Media colleague Andrew Webster on Tuesday, Russia has passed antediluvian laws "that would jail athletes and spectators who so much as wear a rainbow flag supporting gay and lesbian rights at next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi''.

Webster notes: ''Having decriminalised homosexuality in 1993, Russia stands accused of pushing gay rights back to the days of Stalin after the Kremlin overwhelmingly approved homophobic legislation in June that advocates serious punishment to those who provide information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to minors or hold gay pride rallies … Public displays of affection by same-sex couples are illegal. Foreign citizens arrested under the law can be jailed for 15 days then deported."