NEW-YORK, September 2. (Itar-Tass) – Larry Probst, new member of the International Olympic Committee, plans to vote for addition to the Olympic charter of an article which prohibits discrimination against sexual minorities.
According to the Charter, one of the “fundamental principles of Olympism” is that “every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” It also states that “National Olympic Committees must investigate the validity of the entries proposed by the national federations and ensure that no one has been excluded for racial, religious or political reasons or by reason of other forms of discrimination.”
Probst believes that these articles are not enough to prevent discrimination and the Charter needs to specifically address discrimination based on sexual preference.
"If it came to a vote of IOC members, I would absolutely vote yes to amend the charter," Probst said, adding that there is a large number of people who would like to see ‘sexual orientation’ on the list and promising to work on this in future.
Chairman of the U. S. Olympic Committee also emphasized that he did not support boycotting the 2014 Olympics as a reaction to the law adopted by Russia which prohibits homosexual propaganda among minors.