Canada snowboarder Michael Lambert believes that it is "ignorant" to avoid the issues surrounding the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The Games have come under scrutiny for conditions at certain venues, including hotels, and also Russia's policy against gay-rights as they banned 'propaganda' aimed at children.
"I am all for the purest form of sport in which all other distractions are shed with no consideration given to anything but your own process," Lambert told reporters.
"At the same time, to act like there aren't a lot of other very controversial things at play here, it's ignorant. It's not real, it's not a reality. It's not my reality. Just because I am a part of [the Games] doesn't mean I ignore it."
Lambert gets his campaign in Sochi underway later this week.
