An Italian activist shouting "It's OK to be gay" and dressed in a rainbow-coloured outfit and large headdress was detained as she entered an arena to watch an Olympic hockey game.
Vladimir Luxuria, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian parliament who has become a prominent transgender rights crusader and television personality, was stopped by four men and then driven away by police in a car with Olympic markings.
Luxuria later told The Associated Press she was kept in the car for about 10 minutes, then released in the countryside after the men had taken away her Olympic spectator pass. She eventually made it back to her hotel and said she was leaving Russia on Tuesday morning.
"They don't say anything. They just were people who had to do this and they did it," Luxuria said.
Earlier on Monday, Luxuria walked around the Olympic Park in Sochi for about two hours. She was shouting "Gay is OK" and "It's OK to be gay" in both English and Russian.
As she was being led away from Shayba Arena, she was shouting "I have a ticket."
Luxuria said she was detained on Sunday evening by Russian police who told her she should not wear clothes with slogans supporting gay rights. Police denied detaining her. The Italian activist walked around the Olympic Park on Monday with a group of journalists, attracting onlookers. Some Russian fans stopped to pose for photos with her.
Luxuria and her colourful outfit did not attract much negative reaction except for a group of young Russian men who shouted to television cameras in broken English: "Trans not good."
Luxuria arrived at a ticket inspection barrier at the hockey arena just before an evening game was due to begin. She passed through the barrier and was being given directions to her seat when four men who were not wearing any identification surrounded her and started shouting "take her away." They then led her out of the venue and to the parking lot.
