Rainbow fingernail scandal in the sports world

Controversy erupted at the World Athletic Championships in Moscow over Swedish high-jumper Emma Green Tregaro's nails, which she painted in rainbow colors to show support for LGBT people in Russia suffering under the country's harsh and prohibitive anti-gay laws. Those laws forbid the dissemination of "propaganda" that promotes "non-traditional" sexual practices to minors. Though vague, many believe the laws can and will be construed to punish shows of support for LGBT rights such as the donning of pins, ribbons, or even painting one's nails.

Though Green Tregaro was not arrested for her "advocacy," her display of solidarity comes just days after the IOC announced it would not allow similar displays of support at the Sochi Olympics.

However, Green Tregaro's gesture did not sit well with Russian pole-vaulting great and "mayor" of one of the Olympic villages in Sochi, Yelena Isinbayeva. Reuters reports:

"It's disrespectful to our country, disrespectful to our citizens because we are Russians," Isinbayeva, speaking hesitantly in English, told a news conference.

"Maybe we are different than European people and people from different lands. We have our law which everyone has to respect. When we go to different countries, we try to follow their rules. We are not trying to set our rules over there. We are just trying to be respectful.

We are not trying to set our rules over there. We are just trying to be respectful. We consider ourselves, like normal, standard people, we just live boys with women, girls with boys ... it comes from the history. I hope the problem won't ruin our Olympic Games in Sochi," added the 31-year-old, who is one of Russia's best known athletes and won her third pole vault world title in front of an enthralled crowd on Tuesday.

The use of the words "normal" and "standard" raised some eyebrows.  Today, Isinbayeva had this to say, qualifying her original statement:

"English is not my first language and I think I may have been misunderstood when I spoke yesterday. What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests. But let me make it clear I respect the views of my fellow athletes, and let me state in the strongest terms that I am opposed to any discrimination against gay people on the grounds of their sexuality."

(source)