Now this is vodka I could get into . . .

Matthew Mitcham, one of the first out Olympic athletes spoke out about the gay propaganda laws in Russia and their impact on athletes. “It’s really sad. The way they are persecuting people in Russia is quite horrific. The Olympics is the best experience you will ever have as an athlete,” he said. “Their whole memory and experience is going to be marred by this stuff. They are going to be made to feel unacceptable, inappropriate, and it is a really awful, awful feeling. The Olympics are supposed to be somewhere where they can go to be relieved of that feeling. A place where you can compete and feel that gender and sexuality is not an issue.”

As did Greg Louganis, who has competed and also served in the broadcast booth. “I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like for a gay athlete in Russia. It was hard enough to compete closeted representing the United States, a country that is considerably evolved on LGBT rights. It is unfathomable to consider what it’s like for the Russian athlete – knowing that if you were to come out you could lose everything you’ve worked your entire life to achieve and then on top of that to be considered a criminal. It is both heartbreaking and heinous”

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee stands by the assurances it received from the Russian government that athletes and spectators were safe at the games, despite several high ranking Russian officials saying the laws will be enforced. “We rest with comments made directly to us by deputy PM Kozak.”