Thursday’s Google Doodle is a not-so-subtle pre-Olympics shot at Russia’s less-than-stellar record on gay rights. The doodle, which is also featured on Google’s .ru Russia address, features a series of winter athletes set in rainbow colors, with a pointed quote from the Olympic Charter below Google’s search bar. Clicking the doodle itself also points users to the Olympic Charter.
Here’s the quote on Google’s landing page:
“The practice of sport is a human right. 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.” –Olympic Charter
Russia has been heavily criticized for its stance on gay rights leading up to the Sochi Winter Olympics.
MORE: Sochi 2014: Snowboarding, Skiing and Skating Ring in the Games
Earlier on Thursday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed “attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people” in Russia, saying that “we must oppose the arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions they face.”
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