Blake Skjellerup opposes Olympic boycott; says he'll be himself in Russia
Fri. September 20, 2013 10:23 AM by OnTopMag.com
Calgary, Canada -
Olympian Blake Skjellerup opposes a boycott of the Winter Olympics over a Russian anti-gay law.
Russian officials have said that the law, which prohibits the public promotion of gay rights to minors, will be enforced at the Sochi games. The vaguely worded law would seem to outlaw everything from Gay Pride marches to the simple act of wearing a rainbow pride pin in public.
The 28-year-old openly gay Skjellerup, a short track speed skater who competed for New Zealand at the 2010 Winter Olympics, appeared on CNN via Skype from Calgary, Canada.
"I don't support a boycott at all," Skjellerup said. "I believe in the power of visibility. And I believe that the world showing up at Russia united on this issue, because this is a human rights issue, LGBT rights are proven now to be a human right. And I think if the world shows up ...I think that will be a lot stronger than a boycott."
"I'm going to go to Sochi. I'm going to be myself. If that gets me in trouble, it gets me in trouble. But there's no way that I'm going to hide away who I am during the Olympics, because the Olympics are something I've worked very hard towards."
(Related: Johnny Weir won't compete in Sochi Winter Olympics.)
Russian officials have said that the law, which prohibits the public promotion of gay rights to minors, will be enforced at the Sochi games. The vaguely worded law would seem to outlaw everything from Gay Pride marches to the simple act of wearing a rainbow pride pin in public.
The 28-year-old openly gay Skjellerup, a short track speed skater who competed for New Zealand at the 2010 Winter Olympics, appeared on CNN via Skype from Calgary, Canada.
"I don't support a boycott at all," Skjellerup said. "I believe in the power of visibility. And I believe that the world showing up at Russia united on this issue, because this is a human rights issue, LGBT rights are proven now to be a human right. And I think if the world shows up ...I think that will be a lot stronger than a boycott."
"I'm going to go to Sochi. I'm going to be myself. If that gets me in trouble, it gets me in trouble. But there's no way that I'm going to hide away who I am during the Olympics, because the Olympics are something I've worked very hard towards."
(Related: Johnny Weir won't compete in Sochi Winter Olympics.)
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine