New Campaign attacks IOC ‘hypocrisy’ in selection of Sochi as host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

An international campaign to highlight “hypocrisy and contradiction” within the International Olympic Committee is to unfold across primary social media channels for the duration of the 2014 Winter Olympics which open on Friday, February 7.

The campaign will challenge the ethical wisdom of the IOC’s awarding of the Games to Russia – a country whose approach to human rights and social inclusion, contradict the basic Olympic principles of fairness and inclusivity.

#IOC (International Olympic Contradictions) is a campaign developed by Pure Sport, a platform created by leading international sports compression wear company SKINS.

Pure Sport is a movement which supports the True Spirit Of Competition and has already promoted a campaign to highlight public demand to rid international sport of anti-competitive, Performance Enhancing Drugs. Over the next two weeks, the platform will roll out a series of messages which highlight how fundamental Olympic principles have been compromised and certain social groups left isolated, by the staging of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

The two-week long narrative will be shared via the Pure Sport twitter account with full campaign information available on the Pure Sport website.

The messages will include key elements from the IOC’s own charter as well as quotes from key officials, such as former President Jacques Rogge and will highlight the hypocritical path that was followed to select Sochi as Host City and effectively endorse the host nation’s humans rights record. Among the messages to be released will be a reminder of the IOC’s declaration that it will: “act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic movement “.

SKINS’ Chairman Jaimie Fuller said: “There is no doubt that the IOC’s decision to go to Sochi is seen as dangerously divisive on a global scale and also as severely damaging to the credibility of the Olympic Movement. So what we’re saying is that this simply cannot be allowed to happen again.

“There is a responsibility to ensure that the world’s major sporting events operate in a wholly and unrestricted environment that is inclusive of all groups, irrespective of colour, race or sexual orientation.”

SKINS have a total of 25 partner athletes taking part in Sochi. The partner list includes athletes from Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and Togo.

Jaimie added: “Sport should be showing the world that restrictive practices based on such principles are deplorable, but in going to Sochi, the IOC has actually endorsed policies of discrimination and restraint.

“To hand a hosting opportunity to a regime which operates in contravention of the basic Olympic ideals is completely unacceptable and we’re standing up in full support of those who are affected and in full support of the true spirit of competition.

“Pure Sport aims to highlight the inconsistencies which discredit the sporting movement as a whole and in this case, while we cannot undo what has already been done, we can help to apply the sort of pressure that ensures the IOC – and any governing body for that matter – practices what it preaches. The custodians of world sport must conduct their affairs in a way that ensures sporting competition is fully inclusive and completely fair.”