The Sochi Winter Olympic Games do not sound too inviting so far.

A lot of negative media has come out regarding many practices, policies and orders that have occurred in Sochi and have been brought to light due to the Games.

There were many orders issued by the Russian government, such as the order to kill any stray dogs that were seen on the streets of Sochi. The country had originally hired a company to exterminate all strays, but after multiple complaints from around the world, this plan was canceled and the dogs were collected from the streets and taken to various shelters.

Perhaps the most talked about conflict around the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games is Russia’s policies on the LGBT community.

Barack Obama and other world leaders chose not to attend the Games’ opening ceremony as a political statement. Instead of Barack Obama representing the U.S. as a delegate, he sent Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow, two former Olympic athletes who are openly gay.

There have been numerous organized protests taking place all over Russia during the Olympics and during the months leading up to the Games. According to CNN, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement that the 2014 Winter Olympics would feature designated zones where protesters may rally.

On the first day of the Olympic Games, Russian police arrested four gay rights activists in St. Petersburg.

Russian law prohibits any gay “propaganda” from reaching the hands of minors, which has been a worldwide controversy ever since the law was enacted.

So why does all this even matter?

Yes, equal human rights are extremely crucial around the world, but why is it even an issue at the Olympics? The athletes that attend the Games are there solely to compete, and that is it. There should not be any judgment of the athletes besides on the grounds of their athletic performances. We must ask if there would be so much attention being cast on Russia’s stance on gay rights if the Olympics weren’t taking place there.

After all, there is a time and a place for everything. I am in no way undermining the importance of gay rights, just their relevance to the Olympic Games.

“I’ve avoided most of these questions about it,” Brian Orser, U.S. skating coach, and a gay man, shared with the Washington Post in an interview. “I don’t want to come across as a hypocrite but I also just want to be here for my athletes, just be here doing my job.”

I think that it is hard for people from other countries, especially Americans, to see the intolerance toward the LGBT community in Russia. However, Americans should not be too quick to attack Russia. While many states have legalized gay marriage over the course of the past few years, there are still 33 states that haven’t done so. But, in the United States, intolerance is still not on the same level of that in Russia, regardless of whether same-sex marriage is legal or not.

The Olympics are one of the few instances where members of countries from all over the world are able to come together for an amicable reason. It is important that these Games stay pure of political differences and any other issues that a country might have with another.