Following the controversy that surrounded Russia’s anti-gay laws before the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, the IOC "has introduced a specific anti-discrimination clause to its host city contract," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. In a letter to prospective bidders for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Dir of Sport Christophe Dubi said that "the new clause would be based on principle 6 of the Olympic charter." The clause reads, "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic movement." In the letter, Dubi informs bidders that "an express reference was included to the prohibition of any form of discrimination, using the wording of fundamental principle 6 of the Olympic charter" (GUARDIAN, 9/25). The AP reported int'l gay rights groups All Out and Athlete Ally "were among those pushing the IOC to add the language to the host contract." All Out co-Founder & Exec Dir Andre Banks said, "This ... sends a clear message to future host cities that human rights violations, including those against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, will not be tolerated." The three finalists in the bidding for the 2022 Games "are Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing, and Oslo, Norway" (AP, 9/25).
GOOD FAITH: REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann wrote Dubi said the changes were aimed at "addressing certain potential concerns for candidate cities and future host cities, in the spirit of good faith and cooperation, and taking into consideration certain comments made by the candidate cities" (REUTERS, 9/25). In Chicago, Philip Hersh wrote IOC President Thomas Bach "is beginning to turn the hidebound organization inside out." The latest move "is philosophically the most significant so far, as long as the IOC backs its words with action if necessary." The "trick now will be to see what kind of hammer the IOC can wield should a country pass discriminatory laws, as Russia did, after one of its cities has been chosen as an Olympic host." Enforcing the contract with the threat of losing the Olympics "becomes nearly impossible in the final three years before the Games in question." Athlete Ally Executive Dir Hudson Taylor said, "We haven't seen the exact language of the revised host city contract, but we would hope that failure to adhere to the provisions would result in moving the Games" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/24).
