Russian MP who racially insulted US President lights the Olympic flame

Irina Rodnina, a Russian MP and former Olympic figure skating champion who lit the Olympic flame yesterday together with legendary former hockey goalie Vladislav Tretiak, is also known for having published a racist photograph of US President Barack Obama last September. Rodnina used Twitter to send out a photo montage of Obama and his wife Michelle looking at a banana. 

The US President was not at the opening ceremony in Sochi and will not be visiting Russia for the Olympics. Rodnina was harshly criticized for the photograph when she tweeted it. 

Speaking in Moscow, US Ambassador Michael McFaul called the tweet "repulsive". Rodnina rapidly removed the photo from her Twitter account, but has never expressed regret for tweeting the image.   

"Freedom of speech is freedom of speech! Go take care of your own problems," the MP for the pro-Putin United Russia party tweeted in response to the American criticism.

Russian MP Jan Zelinsky, a member of the Ethics Commission of the Russian lower house, also had no problem with Rodnina tweeting the image. "She believes the president of the United States likes bananas. What’s wrong with that?" Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying at the time.

The France 24 television station noted at the time that the image recalled situations that have sometimes occurred during football matches in Russia. Some fans there wave bananas at black football players, which is considered a racist insult.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Olympic Organizing Committee in Sochi, refused to debate the topic at a press conference. "[Rodninova] is a three-time Olympic champion, one of the most-recognized female Olympic athletes. I want to stress that the Olympics is not about politics," he said.

Mark Adams, spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), refused to give a concrete answer as to whether or not there had been any discussion of the appropriateness of Rodnina lighting the Olympic flame. "The IOC does not decide who will light the Olympic flame. She was chosen because of her athletic record. She won three Olympic gold medals and has done a great deal of work for sport," Adams said.

Many heads of state have refused to travel to Sochi for the Olympics, often because of criticism of a controversial Russian law banning the "promotion of homosexuality". In addition to US President Barack Obama, other world leaders staying away are British PM David Cameron, French President François Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.