Music: {allcanada} Takei favours dumping Sochi for Vancouver

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

{allcanada} Takei favours dumping Sochi for Vancouver

An online petition to move the 2014 Winter Olympic Games from Sochi to Vancouver has accumulated over 40,000 signatures.

The petition is a result of anti-homosexual legislature that Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law on June 30.

The petition, found on Change.org, is imploring the IOC to move the games to Vancouver, the site of the 2010 Winter Games.

A statement on the petition's page reads, "In 2010 (Vancouver) successfully held the games. The facilities are already in place and can be made, with support, ready in the limited time period to host another games."

Among the many signees of the petition is former Star Trek star and current social media icon George Takei, who took to his personal blog to let his feelings be known.

"Many believe that such a call to move the Olympics out of Russia goes too far," Takei writes. "Would this be their opinion if the law instead called for the arrest of any Jews, Roman Catholics or Muslims should they display any sign of their religion, such as a wearing a yamaka or praying while facing Mecca? Discrimination in any form is a blight upon the Winter Games, and it must not be tolerated.

"Nations are not judged merely on their might, but also by how they treat their most vulnerable," Takei continues. "Russia's cynical and deplorable actions against the LGBT community have given license to hate groups within its borders to act with violence and impunity against a group, based solely on whom they were born to love. It now seeks to spread that hate abroad through its tainted Olympics. If Russia hopes to stand with the International Community, it must accept and adopt international principles of equality and non-discrimination."

The IOC has come out multiple times imploring Russia to change its policy but the petition's organizers believe it's falling on deaf ears.

"We appreciate (the IOC's) efforts in requesting Russia allow gay athletes to compete at the games, but this is not enough," the petition's statement reads.

Despite all of this pressure from the international community, Russia, so far, is refusing to budge on the issue.