Letter
Published on April 15, 2014
Members of Congress sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urging them to amend the Olympic Charter’s nondiscrimination clause, Principle 6, to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
April 15, 2014
Mr. Thomas Bach
President
International Olympic Committee
Chateau de Vidy
Case postale 356
1001 Lausanne
Switzerland
Dear President Bach:
As Members of the United States Congress with great respect for the mission and objective of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Olympic Games), we write to affirm our support for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism and respectfully request that you amend Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
We applaud the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Games for their many successes, to date, in promoting peace through sport. The Olympic Games are unparalleled in their ability to bring together people of various cultures and backgrounds. In particular, Fundamental Principle of Olympism Number 6 explicitly prohibits “[a]ny form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise.” Like you, we understand the necessity of compassion and non-discrimination in order to build a peaceful and better world.
As you know, prior to and during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, this year, we expressed our concerns over Russia’s discriminatory laws against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. We wrote asking you to make clear that the violation of basic human rights should never be a backdrop for athletic achievement and should never desecrate the unifying spirit of diversity that lives at the very heart of the Olympic Games.
We encourage the IOC to continue being a leader in the promotion of tolerance, non-discrimination, and cultural exchange. The Olympic Games will not be truly free from discrimination unless the IOC acknowledges and repudiates oppression of all kind. At your meeting in Monaco this December, the IOC will have a chance to further its commitment to the ideals of human rights and the fellowship of sport. We respectfully ask the IOC to follow the example set by the United States Olympic Committee and explicitly include the LGBT community.
While we understand that politics are not a component of the Olympic Games, we believe amending Principle 6 to further uphold ideals of non-discrimination will illustrate how the Olympic Games achieve their fundamental principle of “plac[ing] sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind,” and assure the world that the heart of the Olympic spirit has been and always will be the athletes, no matter who they are. No matter the color of their skin, the faith to which they adhere, or who they love.
Sincerely,
David N. Cicilline, member of Congress
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, member of Congress
Michael H. Michaud, member of Congress
Mark Takano, member of Congress
Mark Pocan, member of Congress
Adam B. Schiff, member of Congress
Raul M. Grijalva, member of Congress
Michael M. Honda, member of Congress
James P. Moran, member of Congress
Zoe Lofgren, member of Congress
Yvette D. Clarke, member of Congress
Henry A. Waxman, member of Congress
Janice D. Schakowsky, member of Congress
Steve Israel, member of Congress
Jackie Speier, member of Congress
Ann McLane Kuster, member of Congress
Peter Welch, member of Congress
Joseph Crowley, member of Congress
Eleanor Holmes Norton, member of Congress
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