MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered new assurances to gay athletes and fans attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics next month. Lions Jerseys Outlet . Yet he defended Russias anti-gay law by equating gays with pedophiles and said Russia needs to "cleanse" itself of homosexuality if it wants to increase its birth rate. Putins comments in an interview broadcast Sunday with Russian and foreign television stations showed the wide gulf between the perception of homosexuality in Russia versus the West. A Russian law passed last year banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among minors has caused an international outcry. Putin refused to answer a question from the BBC on whether he believes that people are born gay or become gay. The Russian law, however, suggests that information about homosexuality can influence a childs sexual orientation. The law has contributed to growing animosity toward gays in Russian society, with rights activists reporting a rise in harassment and abuse. International worries about how gays will be treated in Sochi have been met with assurances from Russian officials and Olympics organizers that there will be no discrimination, and Putin reiterated that stance. "There are no fears for people with this nontraditional orientation who plan to come to Sochi as guests or participants," Putin declared in the TV interview. He said the law was aimed at banning propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia, suggesting that gays are more likely to abuse children. Making another favourite argument against homosexuality, Putin noted with pride that Russia saw more births than deaths last year for the first time in two decades. Population growth is vital for Russias development and "anything that gets in the way of that we should clean up," he said, using a word usually reserved for military operations. The law on propaganda has been used to justify barring gay pride rallies on the grounds that children might see them. This has raised the question of how athletes and fans would be treated for any gay-rights protests during the Olympics. When asked about this by the ABC TV channel, Putin said protests against the law itself would not be considered propaganda. Putin then hit back, accusing the United States of double standards in its criticism of Russia, pointing to laws that remain on the books in some U.S. states classifying gay sex as a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled in 2003 that such laws were unconstitutional. Homosexuality was a crime in the entire former Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. It was decriminalized in Russia in 1993. The Sochi Winter Olympics run Feb. 7-23. Discount Lions Jerseys . Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing. Youth Lions Jerseys . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. http://www.cheaplionsjerseyschina.com/ . -- Washington Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo is going to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks.Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - After having scored more than two goals only once in their last 18 games, the Carolina Hurricanes scored three in less than 1 1/2 minutes en route to a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Jiri Tlusty put Carolina up 2-1 on a 5-on-3 marker at the 13:50 mark of the second period. Less than a minute later, Eric Staal was credited with a wrap- around goal, and Victor Rask followed that up with a goal on a deflection 26 seconds later. Jeff Skinner and Riley Nash also scored for the Hurricanes, while Ryan Murphy and Justin Faulk each had two assists. Cam Ward stopped 18-of-20 shots to help Carolina win its third straight home game. Both Sabres goals were scored by Philip Varone, who entered the contest with one goal in 10 NHL games. Chris Stewart assisted on both tallies. Jhonas Enroth allowed all five Hurricanes goals on 31 shots as Buffalo fell for the 10th time in its last 11 games. With two seconds left before the first penalty was slated to end, the Hurricanes scored their first 5-on-3 goal of the season. Tlusty set up between the three penalty killers and one-timed a pass from Nathan Gerbe into the back of the net. Seconds after the second penalty expired, Staal was credited with a goal thanks to a fortunate bounce. His backhand pass attempt from behind the net caromed off Sabres defenseman Mike Webers skate into the net to open a two- goal lead. The Hurricanes were not finished. Ron Hainsey wristed a shot from the blue line and Carolina got another break when the puck deflected off Rasks leg into the net at 15:09 of the second. You gotta be alert, said Sabres coach Ted Nolan. You gotta make sure when you get a chance, you gotta play with some urgency. That didnt happen, and wheen it doesnt happen, you take bad penalties and the game is over. Buy Cheap Lions Jerseys. Varone scored his second of the game eight minutes into the final period. Tyson Strachans shot from the blue line sailed high, and the puck skipped between Wards pads after Varone deflected it in the air to pull Buffalo within two. Nash extended Carolinas lead back to three goals less than two minutes later. Faulks wrister made its way through traffic to Enroth, who could not control the rebound. Nash found the loose puck in the crease and swept it into the net for a 5-2 score. After a scoreless first period, Skinner lit the lamp at the 4:52 mark in the middle frame. Alexander Semin maintained possession of the puck in the slot and found Skinner at the side of the net for a tap-in by Enroth. Obviously, its been talked about it a lot here, the lack of offensive punch, said Staal. Tonight, we stuck with it after the first. It was pretty chippy, back-and-forth with the puck bouncing, a lot of whistles. We kind of stepped it up in the second period with some big plays and broke it open. A minute later, the Sabres responded. Stewart backhanded the puck to Varone entering the Carolina zone with speed, and after skating into the slot, he slid the puck past Ward who was moving to his right. Game Notes The season series is now even and will conclude on April 6 in Buffalo ... The Sabres fell to 1-20-0 when trailing after two periods ... Buffalo was outshot for the 35th time this season ... The Sabres have been outscored 50-28 in the second period this season ... 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