International Olympic Committee pressured to speak out on global gay rights

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

Despite worldwide gains for gay rights, homosexuality remains criminalized in many countries –a sore point for activists who hope the global stage of the Olympics can be a springboard for change.

Activists are asking why the International Olympic Committee, with a credo of “sport for all”, welcomes in its ranks scores of nations which ban gay sex. For the IOC, which has taken actions to combat racism and sexism in the past, it’s a new civil rights challenge likely to linger long after the Summer Games in London.

Some activists want the IOC to ban the roughly 75 countries that outlaw homosexual activity. And a leading human rights lawyer says gay athletes who don’t feel safe in their home countries should apply for asylum while in Britain.