Putin says gays at Sochi Olympics must 'leave children alone' The president's comments, reiterating a stance that suggests homosexuals prey on young people, were unlikely to appease critics of the ban. United States President Barack Obama has pointedly announced he was sending an Olympic delegation that includes several openly gay sports figures, among them tennis legend Billie Jean King. A senior cleric from the Russian Orthodox Church, which is closely allied to Putin, this month called for a national debate on returning a Soviet-era law repealed in 1993 that criminalised gay sex. One of the volunteers, set to assist visitors at the Games, commented on their rainbow-coloured uniforms and asked if they could be breaching the ban on gay propaganda, the Interfax news agency reported. "How did it happen that we have a law banning gay propaganda, but the volunteers' uniform is rainbow coloured?" she asked. Putin answered tersely that he did not design the uniform, the report said.