Home favourite Elena Isinbayeva has criticised high jumper Emma Green-Tregaro for making a statement against Russia’s controversial anti-gay laws at the World Championships today.
The Swede painted her fingernails in the colours of the rainbow for the high jump qualifying stage as “a simple way of showing what I think”.
In June, president Vladimir Putin signed a law making it illegal to give under-18s information about homosexuality.
The move has been widely condemned, including by United States president Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron, and has led to calls for a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, gold medallist Isinbayeva today defended the law and criticised Green-Tregaro for her actions.
“It’s disrespectful to our country, disrespectful to our citizens because we are Russians,” Isinbayeva, speaking 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 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."
Green-Tregaro posted a picture of her nails on Instagram ahead of qualifying. "I wouldn't say it was a protest, more of a statement of what I think," the 28-year-old said. "When I first came to Moscow, the first thing I saw when I opened the curtains was a rainbow over Moscow and I thought that was a pretty good sign.
“I hadn’t thought about it before, then I decided to paint my nails. I usually do my nails in something that feels good for me and it was a simple way of showing what I think.”
US runner Nick Symmonds became the first international athlete to stand against the laws, dedicating his world 800 metres silver medal to his gay and lesbian friends.
