III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 311 

Calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to strongly oppose 

Russia’s discriminatory law against the freedom of expression for lesbian, 

gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons and to obtain written 

assurance that host countries of the Olympic Games will uphold all 

international human rights and civil rights obligations for all persons 

observing or participating in the Games regardless of race, sex, sexual 

orientation, or gender identity, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2013 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mrs. BOXER, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and Mr. MURPHY) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

RESOLUTION 

Calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to 

strongly oppose Russia’s discriminatory law against the 

freedom of expression for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 

transgender (LGBT) persons and to obtain written assurance that host countries of the Olympic Games will 

uphold all international human rights and civil rights 

obligations for all persons observing or participating in 

the Games regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, 

or gender identity, and for other purposes. 

Whereas the goal of the Olympic movement is to contribute 

to building a peaceful and better world by educating 


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•SRES 311 IS 

youth through sport practiced in accordance with 

Olympism and its values; 

Whereas the role of the International Olympic Committee 

(IOC), according to the Olympic Charter, is to cooperate 

with the competent public or private organizations and 

authorities in the endeavor to place sport at the service 

of humanity and thereby promote peace; 

Whereas, under the Olympic Charter, any form of discrimination against a person is deemed incompatible with belonging to the Olympic movement and the IOC is to act explicitly against any form of discrimination affecting the 

Olympic movement; 

Whereas, in February 2014, the city of Sochi in the 

Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation will host the 

22nd Winter Olympic Games; 

Whereas, on June 30, 2013, President Vladimir Putin of 

Russian signed into law a bill that allows the Government 

of the Russian Federation to arrest gay or ‘‘pro-gay’’ foreigners prior to being deported from the country; 

Whereas the Krasnodar region of Russia, where the city of 

Sochi is located, and 10 other regions have adopted similar laws banning ‘‘homosexual propaganda’’; 

Whereas several media outlets recently reported of 

homophobic violence occurring in Russia resulting in the 

deaths of Russian citizens; 

Whereas authorities in Russia have refused to register the 

nongovernmental organization that would set up a Pride 

House in Sochi, which would work to combat homophobia 

in sport and promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 

transgendered (LGBT) individuals’ rights during the 


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•SRES 311 IS 

Olympic Games in Russia, as the Pride House did during 

the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver; 

Whereas the presence of a Pride House would be the expression of human rights and have the mission of celebrating 

diversity and inclusiveness through sport and raising 

awareness of LGBT discrimination and criminalization; 

Whereas the IOC has said that they have received assurances 

from the highest levels of the Government of the Russian 

Federation that Olympic athletes and visitors will not be 

affected by Russia’s discriminatory law, but the Minister 

of Sports in Russia has suggested that athletes will not 

be exempt; 

Whereas the Department of State has a clear and consistent 

policy of championing the protection of human rights of 

LGBT individuals worldwide, including by opposing any 

legislation that singles out people for discriminatory 

treatment due to their sexual orientation and by encouraging countries to repeal or reform laws that punish or 

criminalize LGBT status; 

Whereas Russia has obligated itself to respect and enforce 

the right to be free from discrimination and the right to 

freedom of assembly, association, and expression under 

the European Convention of Human Rights, the United 

Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political 

Rights, and the human dimension commitments of the 

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; 

and 

Whereas the IOC recently stated, ‘‘The International Olympic 

Committee is clear that sport is a human right and 

should be available to all regardless of race, sex or sexual 

orientation. The Games themselves should be open to all, 


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•SRES 311 IS 

free of discrimination, and that applies to spectators, officials, media and of course athletes. We oppose in the 

strongest terms any move that would jeopardize this principle.’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on the International Olympic Com3 mittee (IOC) to strongly oppose Russia’s discrimina4 tory law as inconsistent with Russia’s international 

5 obligations and with the value of the Olympic move6 ment; 

7 (2) calls on the IOC to insist, as a condition of 

8 holding the planned Olympic Games in Sochi, that 

9 the Government of the Russian Federation provide 

10 unconditional assurance that no athlete, coach, offi11 cial, spectator, or anyone otherwise involved or affili12 ated with the Olympic Games will be harassed, 

13 fined, detained, or otherwise have their human 

14 rights, including their right to free expression, vio15 lated due to their actual or perceived sexual orienta16 tion or gender identity or expression of support for 

17 LGBT human rights; 

18 (3) urges the IOC to insist that venders and 

19 contractors have LGBT nondiscrimination policies in 

20 place for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and for 

21 all future Olympic Games or other Olympic events; 


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•SRES 311 IS 

1 (4) urges the IOC to call on the Russian Fed2 eration to allow a Pride House that has the mission 

3 of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness through 

4 sport and raising awareness of LGBT discrimination 

5 and criminalization; 

6 (5) urges the IOC to amend its charter to state 

7 that discrimination based on sexual orientation and 

8 gender identity is not compatible with the Olympic 

9 Games; and 

10 (6) urges the congressionally chartered United 

11 States Olympic Committee to intervene and assist 

12 the IOC in establishing the objectives as laid out by 

13 this resolution. 

Æ 


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