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Russian Activists Urge IOC Head on Gay Rights

IOC President Thomas Bach has met with Russian gay rights activists who urged an investigation ahead of the Sochi Olympics into national laws banning "gay propaganda."

International gay rights group AllOut said Russian campaigners asked Bach in Paris on Saturday "to launch an independent investigation on the legal implications of the anti-gay laws in effect in Russia during the Olympic Games."

"A list of precise questions about the implication of the anti-gay laws, to help frame the investigation, were submitted and received by the IOC president," AllOut said in a statement. "The IOC will announce later whether or not the investigation will be done."

The International Olympic Committee, or IOC, and its sponsors have been pressed to take a stronger position against Russia after President Vladimir Putin signed off a law in June banning promotion of "nontraditional sexual relations" to minors.

The IOC has previously said Moscow assured that athletes and spectators will not face discrimination at the Feb. 7 to 23 Winter Games.

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