The controversy over Russia and its anti-gay law does not seem ready to die down. It even takes a rather unexpected turn. A Russian athlete who won gold in the 4x100m at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow last week, Kseniya Ryzhova, took part in the debate. But, this time, to defend his “honor” and his “reputation. » The young woman had exchanged a long, very noticed kiss on the relay podium with another world champion, Yulia Gushchina. A “French kiss” quickly interpreted by Western media and gay rights organizations as a gesture of support for the gay community.
But Kseniya Ryzhova did not like it. She says today she is “humiliated” that her kiss on the lips of her compatriot and relay partner could have been perceived as a sign of protest against the Russian “anti-gay” law. ". She insisted this Tuesday that she was married and that this kiss was a manifestation of joy for her gold medal. “Yesterday, I received 20 phone calls from different media outlets who, instead of congratulating me, decided to humiliate me with these questions,” says the young woman. Yulia and I are both married and have no other relationships. We have been training together for eight years and have become very good friends. You can't imagine what victory after eight years means to us! It was a flood of emotions. And if at that precise moment our lips touched… I don’t know how some people came to imagine that. This not only humiliates us, but also our coaches. »
On Sunday, August 18, in Moscow, the Russian Minister of Sports, Vitaly Mutko, suggested during the closing press conference of the World Athletics Championships that the anti-gay law was of much more interest to the foreign media than to the population of Russia. And assured that there would be no discrimination during the Sochi Games next February, as there was none during the Universiade in Kazan in July 2013.
