On December 8, 2014 the International Olympic Committee unanimously voted through an amendment which formally protect lesbian, gay and bisexual people from discrimination.

The Olympic Charter has been amended to explicitly safeguard lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes, after concerns about homophobia at this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The charter already outlawed discrimination on the grounds of “race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise” – but now sexuality will be explicitly included.

The IOC did not vote on a separate proposal, which would have added gender identity to the list of protected characteristics.

Following an international controversy surrounding the Sochi Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added an anti-discrimination clause to its host city contract in September, 2014.