The rainbow colours two Swedish athletes painted their fingernails in support of gays and lesbians sent a clear message and brought a swift rebuke from a Russian star, perhaps even a glimpse of whats to come at the Sochi Olympics. Speaking at the world championships, pole vault gold medallist Yelena Isinbayeva condemned homosexuality and criticized the Swedes for their gesture critical of Russias new anti-gay legislation. The law, which bans gay "propaganda," has drawn sharp criticism and led some Western activists to call for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in the Russian resort. Isinbayeva won her third world title Tuesday before a boisterous home crowd, and drew even louder cheers Thursday when she received her gold medal. But before accepting it, the woman who will serve as "mayor" of one of the Sochi Olympic villages spoke in favour of the anti-gay stance. "If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people," Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, said in English. "We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys. "Everything must be fine. It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we dont want to have any in the future." Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro, who won a bronze medal at the 2005 worlds, and sprinter Mao Hjelmer sported rainbow colours on their fingernails for events at Luzhniki Stadium, which also hosted the 1980 Moscow Olympics. "The first thing that happened when I came to Moscow and pulled my curtains aside was that I saw the rainbow and that felt a little ironic," Green Tregaro said in a video posted on the website of the Swedish newspaper Expressen. "Then I had a suggestion from a friend on Instagram that maybe I could paint my nails in the colours of the rainbow and that felt like a simple, small thing that maybe could trigger some thoughts." Isinbayeva said it was wrong for the Swedes to make such a statement while competing in Russia. "Its unrespectful to our country. Its unrespectful to our citizens because we are Russians. Maybe we are different from European people and other people from different lands," Isinbayeva told reporters. "We have our home and everyone has to respect (it). When we arrive to different countries, we try to follow their rules." Russias new law does not explicitly ban participation in gay pride parades or promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality online, but anyone wearing a rainbow flag on the street or writing about gay relationships on Facebook, for instance, could be accused of propagandizing. The IOC and FIFA have asked the Russian government for more clarification. It remains unclear if the new law will be enforced during the Sochi Olympics or World Cup. The IAAF, the sports governing body, said the opinions of all athletes should be respected. "The IAAF constitution underlines our commitment to principle of nondiscrimination in terms of religious, political or sexual orientation," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies told The Associated Press. "Allied to this is our belief in free expression as a basic human right, which means we must respect the opinions of both Green Tregaro and Isinbayeva." The International Olympic Committee declined to comment. "You will understand that at this stage we cannot comment on reported opinions/comments," IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said. American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds was shocked by Isinbayevas comments. Symmonds won a silver medal in the 800 metres at about the same time that Isinbayeva won her pole vault title. "Oh, my god. I cant believe she said that. Its bad," Symmonds told the AP. "For Yelena to come out and say we are normal, standard Russian citizens -- Im paraphrasing here -- and we dont stand for that. "I want to say to Yelena, You understand a very large portion of your citizens here are gay and lesbian people. They are standard people, too. They were created this way. For you to tell them that theyre not normal and standard, thats what were taking an issue with. Thats why we have to continue to demonstrate and to speak out against the ignorance that shes showing." Symmonds said he dedicated his silver medal to his gay and lesbian friends, as he said he would in a blog entry for "Runners World" before the championships began. "While I was here, I wanted to focus on athletics. I wanted to win a medal. That was my job," Symmonds said. "Now that Im done doing that job, if theres something I can do, if this gives me a platform to voice my opinion and speak out about the atrocities that Ive seen here, thats what Id like to do." Isinbayeva has set 28 world records and won seven major titles, including gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, but she said this week that she plans to take a break from the sport to have a baby. She was part of the team that helped Russia win the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Asked by Russian TV if she had any intentions of becoming a politician, Isinbayeva said: "I have blabbed so much today and, as usual, everything was turned upside down." Fans cheered when Isinbayeva entered the stadium to receive her gold medal and roared their approval when she stood on the top step of the podium, thrusting her arms in the air and jumping with glee. IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev of Russia put the gold medal around her neck and kissed her cheeks, and when the Russian anthem began, Isinbayeva started singing but soon broke down, burying her face in her hands. She quickly regained her composure and kissed her medal while the anthem played on. Before posing with American silver medallist Jenn Suhr and Cuban bronze medallist Yarisley Silva, Isinbayeva dried her eyes and checked her fingertips for smeared makeup. She was all smiles in the ensuing photos, and then addressed the adoring crowd, speaking into a microphone as her image flashed on giant screens. . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. . Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson and Colton Sissons also scored for the Admirals (22-13-10), who are 2-0-2 in their last four outings, while Roussel tacked on an assist for a two-point night. Greg Pateryn scored once for the Bulldogs (20-22-4), who lost their fifth straight contest, and also assisted on Gabriel Dumonts goal.
http://www.cheaplouisvillejerseys.com/? ... ege-jersey. -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. .Y. - Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didnt flinch in the face of adversity. . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said.NEW YORK -- Geno Smith is still No. 1 for the New York Jets. For the moment. Whether its the second-year quarterbacks job to lose, well, offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg will see what effect Michael Vick has in whats expected to be a hotly contested competition this summer. "We brought Mike in to compete, to push Geno and to make Geno the very best he can make him, and I wanted to make sure Mike was ready for that," Mornhinweg said during a conference call Tuesday. "I think this thing is going to work beautifully. Well see." Smith started all 16 games for the Jets after incumbent Mark Sanchez was lost for the year after injuring his shoulder in the preseason. It was a roller-coaster ride for Smith and the Jets, as the young quarterback led four comeback victories in the fourth quarter or overtime in his first nine games, but then struggled mightily with six interceptions and no touchdowns in three straight losses. He bounced back with a solid final four games, with only two turnovers while leading the Jets to three wins and an 8-8 finish. "Were going to structure it a certain way," Mornhinweg said. "One thing I want to make sure of, that nothing impedes the young quarterbacks progression. Im talking about Geno. He progressed beautifully, and Im talking the last quarter of the season. Played like a winning quarterback, played at a high level." Not surprisingly, Mornhinweg acknowledged that Smith will take the first snaps with the starting offence when the team begins on-field practices in a few weeks. The Jets did the same last spring with Sanchez getting the first snaps over Smith. "Geno will get a few more reps, but not many (more)," Mornhinweg said. "Im going to try to do this thing right, and itll vary day to day, much like Ive done it in the past." Smith said last week hes taking the approach that hes the starter, and Vick acknowledged that when he signed with New York last month. But that doesnt mean Vick will be resigned to the fact he will be the backup, and thats one reason Mornhinweg was happy to be reunited with the veteran after their four seasons together in Philadelphia. "He has a really important role here," he said of Vick. "Hes 33 years old, and hes still got it. I look at him as a young 33. Hes still got it. ... When hes called uupon to play, Ive got great confidence in Mike.dddddddddddd." And, if it turns out its in a mentor-type role as it was for Vick last year with Nick Foles in Philadelphia, Mornhinweg anticipates no issues. "Mikes going to handle that real well," he said. "Hes going to do the right thing." Vick is extremely familiar with Mornhinwegs system, theoretically giving the Jets two starting-calibre quarterbacks who can run the offence with little drop-off in case of injury or ineffectiveness. "I would expect Geno to progress at a high rate with Mikes help," Mornhinweg said. "I want to get Mike back comfortable with our terminology, with our system, exactly how we want these things done, so its just that simple. Vick isnt the only newcomer to an offence that finished 25th overall and struggled with consistency last season. The Jets signed former Titans star Chris Johnson to bolster the backfield and former Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker to upgrade perhaps the teams weakest spot a year ago. Mornhinweg is intrigued by the pass-catching ability Johnson has, but also believes he can be the "electric, dynamic" type of running back he was during his best years in Tennessee now that hes healthy. "Thats a pretty good little 1-2 punch," Mornhinweg said of the Chris Ivory-Johnson pairing. Decker had 87 receptions for 11 touchdowns last season while catching passes from Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, the Jets leading receiver was Jeremy Kerley with 43 catches, and it was clear New York would need to get better at the position through free agency -- they also signed Jacoby Ford -- and the draft. "Last year," Mornhinweg said, "I thought was quite possibly the start of something special." NOTES: Defensive co-ordinator Dennis Thurman said "the skys the limit" for Dee Milliner, the Jets top pick last year who will assume the No. 1 CB spot with the departure of Antonio Cromartie. Milliner struggled at times while dealing with injuries, but Thurman believes he can become "a very good corner." ... While cornerback remains a potential target in the first round, Thurman expressed confidence in his current group. "Im comfortable with our cornerback situation," he said. "We have guys who can play." ' ' '
