Obama rejects idea of Olympic boycott for Sochi

Kelly Whiteside | USA TODAY Sports

President Barack Obama is rooting for gay and lesbian athletes to medal at the Sochi Olympics. If it's an American, even better.

"Nobody is more offended than me by some of the anti-gay and lesbian legislation that you've been seeing in Russia," he said, rejecting the idea of an Olympic boycott on Friday in a White House news conference.

"One of the things I'm really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which I think would go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that we're seeing there. And if Russia doesn't have gay or lesbian athletes, then it probably makes their team weaker."

IOC President Jacques Rogge said Friday the Russian government has provided written reassurances that athletes and visitors attending the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia will not be affected by anti-gay legislation, but some elements are still too unclear.

"We are waiting for the clarifications before having the final judgment on these reassurances," Rogge said, a day before the start of track's world championships in Moscow.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has added to the confusion. On Friday he said the opposition to the anti-gay legislation was a Western plot to undermine Russia's athletic performance, according to the state news agency R-Sport.

"I would call this a bit of pressure ahead of the Olympics," Mutko said. "Russia should understand that the stronger we are, the more they don't like it."

Russia's decision to grant temporary asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and the passage of anti-gay legislation have led for calls of an Olympic boycott.

Obama said that Russia's anti-American rhetoric "has played into some of the old stereotypes about the Cold War contests" adding that he's encouraged president Vladimir Putin "to think forward as opposed to backwards on those issues."

Looking backwards, in 1980 the U.S. boycotted the Summer Games in Moscow; four years later the Soviet Union did the same at the Los Angeles Olympics. "I do not think it's appropriate to boycott the Olympics," Obama said.

USOC CEO Scott Blackmun issued a statement Friday supporting Obama's stance. "The Games bring people together. They unite the world and break down barriers," Blackmun said. "The Games demonstrate how it is possible to compete fiercely but respectfully. They demonstrate how people with disparate views can come together and celebrate what they have in common, most notably the will to be the best you can be. As the President suggested, the diverse group of athletes representing our nation next winter makes us a stronger and a better Team USA."