Olympic Committee Adds Anti-Discrimination Clause for Host Cities

The International Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday that they will add an anti-discrimination clause to host city contracts.

So in order to host the 2022 Olympic Games, cities must pledge to adhere to a principle of the Olympic charter which prohibits discrimination. The move is a result of the pushback the IOC faced from human rights organizations following the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, where homophobic policies and incidents were rampant.

The updated clause calls for the prohibition of “any form of discrimination,” under the rules of Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which bans “any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise.” LGBT rights organizations All Out and Athlete Ally championed the Principle in an effort to get athletes and fans to speak out against the anti-LGBT laws in Russia.

Organizations like Human Rights Watch also urged the IOC to add a human rights provision to its host city contract for future games.

Co-founder and executive director of All Out, Andre Banks, called the IOC’s announcement a “significant step in ensuring the protection of both citizens and athletes around the world.”