MOSCOW, Oct 30: Russia began the 100 day countdown to the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi on Wednesday, with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach promising an “unforgettable” event despite a growing controversy over gay rights.

The landmark date was marred for Russia’s gay rights groups who said they had requested to discuss recent anti-gay legislation with Bach during his visit to Sochi, but he “refused”.

“LGBT activists in Russia see this decision as yet another indicator that the Olympics are far from being a platform to uphold and promote the Olympic values,” said the Russian LGBT Network in a statement.

The group was one of six organisations that sent a letter to the IOC ahead of the visit seeking to talk with Bach about “ways the IOC can ensure observance of the non-discrimination clause of the Olympic Charter” in Russia, where a new law now forbids disseminating “gay propaganda” to minors.

President Vladimir Putin, who has spearheaded the Olympic project in the southern city, promised during his meeting with Bach Tuesday that Sochi will be “comfortable” for all athletes and guests regardless of their ethnicity or sexual orientation.

But the activists said they are not convinced and are asking for specific assurances, such as the establishment of a “Pride House” in Sochi, their statement said, adding that Russia’s new law already enforces a “discriminatory regime” in the entire country.

The IOC previously said that Sochi organisers have given sufficient guarantees that the Olympic Charter will be respected during the Games.

The organisation has offered to set up the meeting between Bach and the activists in Lausanne, Switzerland, and they are now “negotiating the schedules,” the groups said.

Bach has been on a visit to Sochi, where he toured the sports sites and met with Putin. He said that “with only 100 days to go, the Sochi 2014 venues look impressive.”

To mark the ‘100 days’ event, Sochi organisers presented a new uniform designed for the event’s staff and volunteers, while pictures of cheering crowds surrounding Olympic countdown clocks in Sochi and other cities were aired on television.

Russia’s Central Bank unveiled its “Olympic” banknote of 100 rubles, the country’s most popular denomination, which features a snowboarder leaping above the Olympic Park.—AFP