A Swedish athletics official says Emma Green Tregaro has been told that painting her fingernails in rainbow colors to support gay rights is a potential violation of the world championships’ code of conduct.
Anders Albertsson, the general secretary of the Swedish athletics federation, says he doesn’t know whether Green Tregaro would repeat the nail-painting gesture for Saturday’s high jump final.
The gesture on Thursday was a quiet criticism of a Russian law that bans so-called propaganda supporting homosexuality to minors. Russian pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva said it showed disrespect to Russia. Albertsson said Green Tregaro was told her rainbow fingernails could be a violation of rules that ban political statements.