Mayor of Sochi Anatoly Pakhomov, left, waves the Olympic flag after receiving it from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge, center, as Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson looks on during the Closing Ceremony at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada, during the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 28, 2010. Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympics. UPI/Brian Kersey |
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The president joins several athletes and celebrities who have called for a boycott of the Olympics, many due to Russia's recent law banning pro-homosexual propaganda, CNN reported. The law makes even the discussion of homosexuality in front of children illegal.
Alexey Pushkov, the head of Russian Parliament's foreign delegation, attacked Gauck's decision on Twitter, TheLocal.de reported.
"The German President Gauck has not criticized the killing of children and women in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But he is so critical of Russia that he doesn't even want to travel to Sochi," he wrote.