Sweden's sports minister, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth will not be attending the 2014 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony as a political statement. The reason behind this decision is her belief in the importance of human rights. She will attend the games to support the athletes. Other politicians staying away from the games include: Barrack Obama, the French President François Hollande, European Union Commissioner Viviane Reding and the German President Joachim Gauck. This certainly is a powerful international statement against Putin's anti-gay laws in Russia.
January 15, 2014