MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered new assurances to gay athletes and fans attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics next month. [url=http://www.officialsaintslockroom.com/larry-warford-jersey-saints-j ersey-90/]Larry Warford Jersey[/url] . Yet he defended Russias anti-gay law by eq

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered new assurances to gay athletes and fans attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics next month. Larry Warford Jersey . Yet he defended Russias anti-gay law by equating gays with pedophiles and said Russia needs to "cleanse" itself of homosexuality if it wants to increase its birth rate. Putins comments in an interview broadcast Sunday with Russian and foreign television stations showed the wide gulf between the perception of homosexuality in Russia versus the West. A Russian law passed last year banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among minors has caused an international outcry. Putin refused to answer a question from the BBC on whether he believes that people are born gay or become gay. The Russian law, however, suggests that information about homosexuality can influence a childs sexual orientation. The law has contributed to growing animosity toward gays in Russian society, with rights activists reporting a rise in harassment and abuse. International worries about how gays will be treated in Sochi have been met with assurances from Russian officials and Olympics organizers that there will be no discrimination, and Putin reiterated that stance. "There are no fears for people with this nontraditional orientation who plan to come to Sochi as guests or participants," Putin declared in the TV interview. He said the law was aimed at banning propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia, suggesting that gays are more likely to abuse children. Making another favourite argument against homosexuality, Putin noted with pride that Russia saw more births than deaths last year for the first time in two decades. Population growth is vital for Russias development and "anything that gets in the way of that we should clean up," he said, using a word usually reserved for military operations. The law on propaganda has been used to justify barring gay pride rallies on the grounds that children might see them. This has raised the question of how athletes and fans would be treated for any gay-rights protests during the Olympics. When asked about this by the ABC TV channel, Putin said protests against the law itself would not be considered propaganda. Putin then hit back, accusing the United States of double standards in its criticism of Russia, pointing to laws that remain on the books in some U.S. states classifying gay sex as a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled in 2003 that such laws were unconstitutional. Homosexuality was a crime in the entire former Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. It was decriminalized in Russia in 1993. The Sochi Winter Olympics run Feb. 7-23. John Kuhn Jersey . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event. Morten Andersen Jersey . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start. http://www.officialsaintslockroom.com/max-unger-saints-jersey/ . Louis Blues and back into top spot of the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings. The Sharks had been ranked No.The Canada Day long weekend saw some fantastic storylines in Major League Soccer, with last-minute goals coming in games played in Philadelphia, Montreal, San Jose and Los Angeles adding to the drama. For Canadas three MLS teams, the results were mixed. Toronto FC fell to Real Salt Lake, 1-0 at BMO Field, continuing TFCs winless streak on home soil. The last time the Reds picked up maximum points on the grass pitch down by the lakeshore was on July 18, 2012, when they beat the Colorado Rapids by a score of 2-1. A loss to Real Salt Lake wasnt entirely unexpected; the Western Conference leaders are the form team in MLS right now, having won seven of their last nine games. Toronto FC had a few fleeting chances, with the best falling to Bobby Convey just inside the penalty box after Danny Koevermans found the winger cutting inside, only for Convey to poke his ensuing shot wide of the target. There was a penalty appeal by Jeremy Brockie in the first half, after the Kiwi went down following contact with Real Salt Lake defender Nat Borchers. The referee made the correct decision in waving away Brockies appeal, as Brockie simply ran into Borchers after pushing the ball beyond the defender. While there was contact – Borchers clipped his own heels and went down as a result – it wasnt instigated by the defender and certainly didnt merit a penalty kick. Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen felt otherwise, saying in the post-game press conference that they were denied a “stone-cold penalty”. Whether it was an attempt to deflect criticism away from yet another uninspiring performance is unclear. What is very evident is that Toronto FC is in dire need of a creative influence in midfield. Expect the upcoming transfer window to be a busy one for Nelsen and General Manager Kevin Payne, as the two continue to try to turn Toronto into a contender. There was controversy in Washington, D.C. as the Vancouver Whitecaps held on for a 1-0 win against United. Camilo scored the games only goal after he smashed home a penalty kick early in the second half following a foul by DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid on Vancouver midfielder Matt Watson. The controversy arose because replays clearly show that Hamid played the ball before making contact with Watson, who went sprawling under the challenge. Proponents of the call argue that “getting the ball first” isnt a defence for Hamid. They claim that his challenge was careless, and merited a foul being given. That the foul occurred inside the penalty area meant that referee Mattt Foerster had no choice but to award a penalty. Coby Fleener Jersey. Critics argue that Hamids challenge was a legal one; he got the ball first, and his momentum carried him into Watson. It wasnt careless, but rather a strong challenge to win the ball. I agree with the critics. I do not want our game to become so sanitized that players are unable to challenge for the ball, knowing that even the slightest contact will result in a foul, a card or a penalty being given. Contact between players has always been a part of the game and denying a goal-scoring opportunity – as Hamid did when he came out to challenge Watson – can swing the momentum in a game. The referees job is to ensure that whatever contact occurs is within the laws of the game, but I feel that we are beginning to err too far on the side of caution. If this carries on, it wont be long before no contact at all is allowed in the game. The controversy masked the fact that Vancouver has been on a tidy little run of late, winning five of their last seven games to drag themselves into the playoff race in the Western Conference. The Whitecaps have a tough week coming up, though, with an away game against Sporting KC on Wednesday (which can be seen live on TSN at 9pm et/6pm pt) followed by a home game against Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders on Saturday (also on TSN, 11pm et/8pm pt). The Montreal Impact were involved in a seven-goal thriller at Stade Saputo in Montreal, conceding in stoppage time to lose 4-3 to the Colorado Rapids. In head coach Marco Schallibaums first season in charge, the Impact have been in fantastic form, sitting atop the Eastern Conference with 29 points from 15 games played. They have games in hand on all of the teams chasing them, and if the Impact can convert those games into points, they will have a very good chance of making their first MLS playoff appearance in just their second year in the league. The Impact are anchored by some excellent senior players - Patrice Bernier, Marco Di Vaio, Alessandro Nesta and Matteo Ferrari to name a few. They have also made some very good off-season additions, with one of them – Daniele Paponi – scoring two goals against Colorado. If the Impact can stay healthy, they have more than enough to challenge not just for a playoff place, but also for a deep run into the post-season. The Impact will kick off an MLS double header on TSN on Wednesday when they renew their rivalry with Toronto FC at 7pm et/4pm pt, before Sporting KC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps at 9pm et/6pm pt. 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