Sochi 2014: Gay athlete promises openly defiant stance at Games
(CNN) -- He's unlikely to break a world record or even win a medal but New Zealand's Blake Skjellerup is likely to generate plenty of headlines if he gets to February's Winter Olympics.
The speed skater is currently the only openly gay athlete who could compete in Sochi, at a Games already tinged by Russia's controversial laws on homosexuality.
The June ruling prohibits the distribution of information to minors promoting same-sex relationships and the public discussion of gay rights, but Skjellerup has promised not to shy away from the issue.
Instead, he's planning to tackle it head on.
Read: Putin says gays and lesbians welcome in Sochi
And if Russian President Vladimiar Putin, who signed off the bill, is sincere when recently saying that all competitors will be welcome -- "regardless of nationality, race or sexual orientation" -- then the 28-year-old's potential arrival will be the acid test