Months ahead of the Winter Olympics in Russia, where controversy surrounds a law that targets homosexuality, the U.S. Olympic Committee adds protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation to its policies.

"The fact that we do not think it is our role to advocate for a change in the Russian law does not mean that we support the law, and we do not," USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said.

The organization's board adopted the measure after its chairman, Larry Probst, said he would support adding sexual orientation to the International Olympic Committee's nondiscrimination policies.

"Americans are among Olympic athletes who've expressed outrage about the law," NPR's Howard Berkes reports for our Newscast unit. "The International Olympic Committee has warned athletes that engaging in political protest during the Olympics violates the Olympic Charter. The USOC is pushing the international Olympic body to also ban discrimination based on sexual orientation."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.