The rainbow colours two Swedish athletes painted their fingernails in support of gays and lesbians sent a clear message and brou

The rainbow colours two Swedish athletes painted their fingernails in support of gays and lesbians sent a clear message and brought a swift rebuke from a Russian star, perhaps even a glimpse of whats to come at the Sochi Olympics. Drew Bledsoe Patriots Jersey . Speaking at the world championships, pole vault gold medallist Yelena Isinbayeva condemned homosexuality and criticized the Swedes for their gesture critical of Russias new anti-gay legislation. The law, which bans gay "propaganda," has drawn sharp criticism and led some Western activists to call for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in the Russian resort. Isinbayeva won her third world title Tuesday before a boisterous home crowd, and drew even louder cheers Thursday when she received her gold medal. But before accepting it, the woman who will serve as "mayor" of one of the Sochi Olympic villages spoke in favour of the anti-gay stance. "If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people," Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, said in English. "We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys. "Everything must be fine. It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we dont want to have any in the future." Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro, who won a bronze medal at the 2005 worlds, and sprinter Mao Hjelmer sported rainbow colours on their fingernails for events at Luzhniki Stadium, which also hosted the 1980 Moscow Olympics. "The first thing that happened when I came to Moscow and pulled my curtains aside was that I saw the rainbow and that felt a little ironic," Green Tregaro said in a video posted on the website of the Swedish newspaper Expressen. "Then I had a suggestion from a friend on Instagram that maybe I could paint my nails in the colours of the rainbow and that felt like a simple, small thing that maybe could trigger some thoughts." Isinbayeva said it was wrong for the Swedes to make such a statement while competing in Russia. "Its unrespectful to our country. Its unrespectful to our citizens because we are Russians. Maybe we are different from European people and other people from different lands," Isinbayeva told reporters. "We have our home and everyone has to respect (it). When we arrive to different countries, we try to follow their rules." Russias new law does not explicitly ban participation in gay pride parades or promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality online, but anyone wearing a rainbow flag on the street or writing about gay relationships on Facebook, for instance, could be accused of propagandizing. The IOC and FIFA have asked the Russian government for more clarification. It remains unclear if the new law will be enforced during the Sochi Olympics or World Cup. The IAAF, the sports governing body, said the opinions of all athletes should be respected. "The IAAF constitution underlines our commitment to principle of nondiscrimination in terms of religious, political or sexual orientation," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies told The Associated Press. "Allied to this is our belief in free expression as a basic human right, which means we must respect the opinions of both Green Tregaro and Isinbayeva." The International Olympic Committee declined to comment. "You will understand that at this stage we cannot comment on reported opinions/comments," IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said. American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds was shocked by Isinbayevas comments. Symmonds won a silver medal in the 800 metres at about the same time that Isinbayeva won her pole vault title. "Oh, my god. I cant believe she said that. Its bad," Symmonds told the AP. "For Yelena to come out and say we are normal, standard Russian citizens -- Im paraphrasing here -- and we dont stand for that. "I want to say to Yelena, You understand a very large portion of your citizens here are gay and lesbian people. They are standard people, too. They were created this way. For you to tell them that theyre not normal and standard, thats what were taking an issue with. Thats why we have to continue to demonstrate and to speak out against the ignorance that shes showing." Symmonds said he dedicated his silver medal to his gay and lesbian friends, as he said he would in a blog entry for "Runners World" before the championships began. "While I was here, I wanted to focus on athletics. I wanted to win a medal. That was my job," Symmonds said. "Now that Im done doing that job, if theres something I can do, if this gives me a platform to voice my opinion and speak out about the atrocities that Ive seen here, thats what Id like to do." Isinbayeva has set 28 world records and won seven major titles, including gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, but she said this week that she plans to take a break from the sport to have a baby. She was part of the team that helped Russia win the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Asked by Russian TV if she had any intentions of becoming a politician, Isinbayeva said: "I have blabbed so much today and, as usual, everything was turned upside down." Fans cheered when Isinbayeva entered the stadium to receive her gold medal and roared their approval when she stood on the top step of the podium, thrusting her arms in the air and jumping with glee. IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev of Russia put the gold medal around her neck and kissed her cheeks, and when the Russian anthem began, Isinbayeva started singing but soon broke down, burying her face in her hands. She quickly regained her composure and kissed her medal while the anthem played on. Before posing with American silver medallist Jenn Suhr and Cuban bronze medallist Yarisley Silva, Isinbayeva dried her eyes and checked her fingertips for smeared makeup. She was all smiles in the ensuing photos, and then addressed the adoring crowd, speaking into a microphone as her image flashed on giant screens. Drew Bledsoe Womens Jersey . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. Kevin Faulk Patriots Jersey . -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Elite-Steve-Grogan-Patriots-Jersey/ . The weekend at Oriole Park has been less kind, with three players suffering varying degrees of injury. The worst ailment of the three, at least optically, is the deep bone bruise suffered by Adam Lind when he fouled a pitch off the top of his right foot in the sixth inning of Saturdays game.CORTINA DAMPEZZO, Italy - Canadian Larisa Yurkiws self-funded team of one is starting to pay off.The native of Owen Sound, Ont., finished second in a World Cup downhill Friday for her first career podium result — an achievement that Yurkiw has had to work harder for than most skiers at this level.Thats because Alpine Canada dropped its money-draining womens downhill team two years ago, prompting the 26-year-old Yurkiw to strike out on her own, hire a full-time coach and gather sponsors to support travel and training.For this season alone, Yurkiw raised $250,000.We just dont have so much depth in Canada in womens speed racing, so they dont have a speed team, Yurkiw said. This is my baby and my passion, so I figured out a way to make it happen for myself.Its been amazing. Its one of those situations that you dont ask for but its been a big education. Its definitely shown me what Im made of.While Yurkiw still races in the Canadian teams yellow and red uniform, thats practically her only connection to the federation these days. Once she reaches the finish area, she dons her aqua-green Team Larisa jacket covered with patches from her sponsors.Those sponsors, led by helmet sponsor and foreign exchange company Cresco FX, got plenty of visibility Friday as Yurkiw took advantage of an early start number on a shortened course in thick fog and low visibility to finish 0. Sony Michel Youth Jersey. 5 seconds behind winner Elena Fanchini of Italy.At one point you have to be lucky, Yurkiw said.Yurkiw has had her share of bad luck, like when she tore up her left leg in a December, 2009 crash and missed her home Vancouver Olympics two months later. In all, she sat out two years of World Cup races.Yurkiw started her personal team last season and qualified for the Sochi Olympics, where she placed 20th in downhill.She opened this season by finishing fourth in a downhill on home snow in Lake Louise, Alberta, last month, and is now sixth in the downhill standings.Her coach, Kurt Mayr, once worked with Austrian downhill legend Renate Goetschl.My coach is a jack of all trades, Yurkiw said. We get pretty creative on how to be efficient and creative and make it work for the most success possible.That involves training and sharing course reports with the Swedish, Norwegian and German teams.I call myself Team Larisa, Yurkiw said. But its an umbrella of a lot of peoples energy and effort.Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf ' ' '