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# European Olympic Committee insist the LGBTQ+ community will be protected in 2023 games
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/european-olympic-committee-insist-the-lgbtq-community-will-be-protected-in-2023-games/
- Published: 2020-10-15T11:12:04.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-15T07:00:17.000Z
- Description: The European Olympic Committees (EOC) has responded to backlash about the 2023 European Games being held in Kraków – an LGBTQ+ free zone in Poland.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: Community, Information, News, Out & About, Politics, Queer Corner, Sport, Andrzej Duda, Joe Biden, Krakow, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Sports, Mateusz Morawiecki, Olympics, Poland, Ursula von der Leyen

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/europeanolympiccommittees-1.jpg)

The **European Olympic Committee** (EOC) has responded to backlash about the 2023 European Games being held in **Kraków** – a so called ‘ LGBTQ+ free zone’ in **Poland** – saying there will be *“no discrimination of any kind”* against queer athletes or attendees*.* According to [Inside the Games](https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1099552/eoc-krakow-malopolska-lgbt-criticism?ref=scenemag.co.uk), a representative of the EOC said: *“The committee has sought assurances from the organisers of Kraków-Małopolska and the highest levels of government that the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter* \[which condemns any kind of discrimination\] *will be fully respected for all participants of the European Games.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/euro-games-1.jpg)

Many have [criticised](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/2023-european-games-to-be-held-in-polish-lgbtq-free-zone/) the EOC over the decision to hold the games in Kraków after it signed a pledge, along with 100 other towns in Poland, to ‘oppose any acts of tolerance’ towards the LGBTQ+ community. **Liz Barker**, a member of Britain’s House of Lords and the all-party parliamentary group on global LGBTQ+ rights, argued the town was not suitable to hold the games on the basis it did not uphold Olympic values.

Many others have condemned Poland’s LGBTQ+ free zones in general, including head of the European Commission **Ursula von der Leyen** and US presidential candidate **Joe Biden**, plus a further 350,000 who signed a petition calling for the EU to take greater action to protect LGBTQ+ Poles. Polish prime minister **Mateusz Morawiecki** has [branded](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/polish-leader-blames-lgbtq-activist-for-international-backlash/) reports of LGBTQ+ free zones as ‘fake news’, however the number of towns signing anti-queer pledges has continued to grow since the re-election of anti-LGBTQ+ president **Andrzej Duda**.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/gp_krakow-1.jpg)