Did the IOC Just Ban Anti-Gay Countries from Hosting the Olympics?

This time last year we were constantly hearing of anti-gay abuses in Russia in the lead up to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.  We were likewise hearing a drumbeat of criticism for the International Olympic Committee's ("IOC") lack of sufficient balls to lay down the law to Vladimir Putin - just as was the case with the IOC in the lead up to Hitler's Olympic extravaganza in Berlin in 1936.  And sadly, anti-gay persecution continues in Russia.  But, now, the IOC has voted to Principle 6 to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.  On its face, the wording of the newly adopted Principle would bar a country with anti-gay laws from hosting the Olympics. With a number of states in America still maintaining anti-gay sodomy statutes in their codes, perhaps this action will be a wake up call to these anti-gay states.  Here are details from Gay Star News:

The Olympics has taken a huge step forward in protecting gay rights.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved Proposal 14 of the Olympic Agenda 2020 to include non-discrimination with regard to sexual orientation in Principle 6 at a vote in Monaco today (8 December).

Principle 6 originally read: 'Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.'

With sexual orientation included, it implies that countries with laws that actively discriminate against gay people will not be able to apply to host. It must be noted the IOC remains unclear whether this decision will affect any future bids.

It comes after several people were arrested during the Sochi Olympics earlier this year, held in the shadow of Russia's 'gay propaganda' laws.

It sends a clear message to future host cities that human rights violations, including those against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, will not be tolerated,' said Andre Banks, co-founder and executive director of All Out.  'These new rules must prevent a replay of Sochi.'

The 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and in Tokyo, Japan in 2020. The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The next host city to be decided will be the 2022 Games, with Almaty, Kazakhstan and Beijing, China as the only two candidates.

All of these host countries need to get on board and scrap any anti-gay laws that they have on their books.  Other international sports associations need to follow suit and any events scheduled in places like Russia need to be relocated to non-discriminatory countries.