IOC Head Warns Athletes Against Protesting in Sochi

Athletes attending the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, have been warned by the head of the International Olympic Committee not to get involved in political or LGBT-related protests.

IOC president Thomas Bach, who won a gold medal for West Germany in fencing in 1976, will issue a letter to athletes reminding them that Russia has a law that bars people from engaging in so-called LGBT propaganda.

"As an athlete, you do not want to be confronted with any kind of political controversies at the Games," he said, according to BBC News.

Due to Rule 50 in the Olympic Charter, athletes can be expelled for participating in a demonstration or in political, religious, or racial propaganda.