Gay at the Games: Silver Medalist Says Sochi Was a Poor Choice

Gay-on-Gay Pressure
Ski jumper Daniela Iraschko-Stolz says she felt a lot of pressure leading up to the Olympic games in Sochi because she is one of the few openly gay athletes competing in Russia.

"I think I was in the media every day before Sochi, so there was a lot of pressure on my shoulders," the silver medalist said.

She added that she hopes the International Olympic Committee will be more thoughtful about host countries in the future and that the committee probably should not have chosen Russia for the 2014 games. "It's hard as an athlete to say something because of the IOC's rules," she said.

From Russia With Love
Out speed skater Anastasia Bucsis of Canada says love is in the air in Sochi ... wonder what that's all about?

Meredith Vieira Makes Olympic History
Matt Lauer has been fine holding down NBC's Olympic desk while Bob Costas deals with his eye infection, but Meredith Vieira has been announced as the person who will take over the job. That's right, Vieira will be the first woman to anchor the Olympic prime-time show solo. Costas has hosted every NBC prime-time show since 1988.

Hudson Taylor's Account of Sochi
Columbia University assistant wrestling coach and LGBT ally Hudson Taylor has spent a week in Sochi, and he says the situation there is different from what we see in media.

"I went to this bar called Mayak, which is one of the only LGBT-friendly bars in Sochi," Taylor said. "The establishment was tucked behind another building without any signs. The windows were all boarded. The door was bulletproof. The security was so extreme, and it kind of gave you a sense of what being LGBT in Russia must feel like."

To Watch This Weekend
Barbara Jezersek is scheduled to compete in the women's cross-country relay on Saturday, and Ireen Wust will compete in the women's 1,500-meter speed skating competition on Sunday.

No, Seriously, They Really Don't Like Us
Jason Jones, reporting live from Sochi-ish, Russia, makes it clear how pervasive the antigay sentiment is over there. Seriously, The Daily Show is probably one of the few shows that could make Russia's homophobia even remotely funny.

Also on the show, Jon Stewart poked fun at bisexual speed skater Ireen Wust's "cuddle" with Vladimir Putin.

"He wasn't cuddling her," Stewart said, "he was curing her, for no woman can remain gay once they've suckled on the straightening teats of Vladimir Putin."