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Channel 4 Has Changed Its Logo To Support Gay Athletes At The Winter Olympics

It's also released an advert called Gay Mountain, which really is rather special.

Scott Bryan
by Scott Bryan

BuzzFeed Entertainment Editor, UK

Channel 4 will change its logo to this, to support gay athletes participating in Sochi.

Channel 4 Press / Twitter: @LaurieHanna
Twitter: @justinebower

The image on the right? Channel 4 erected that outside its headquarters.

The broadcaster's distinctive logo will be rebranded on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony, and the "what's on next" screens that air between shows will be similarly rainbow-emblazoned for the day.Channel 4 is also launching a 90-second TV ad that will debut in prime time at 7pm on Friday – as BBC2's live coverage of the opening ceremony nears its climax – in a "roadblock" across its main channel, E4, More4 and catch-up station 4Seven.

And what is the advert like? Well here it is for you.

View this video on YouTube
youtube.com

At the start you see this guy and think you're about to watch him in a serious performance about Russia or something.

youtube.com / Channel 4

But that's not what happens. You see him strip in front of a rainbow.

youtube.com / Channel 4

And now he is in his pants, pretending to ski, sexily.

youtube.com / Channel 4

Meanwhile, Putin is rocking the DJ booth.*

youtube.com

*For legal reasons, I should add here that Putin isn't rocking the DJ booth.

THESE HOT MEN ALSO MAKE OUT.

Channel 4 / youtube.com

But the best bit of this advert?

This awesome message at the end.

youtube.com and Channel 4

Channel 4 is the official U.K. broadcaster of the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games, so this campaign is probably a good idea. It shows that the broadcaster's not shying away from the issue of LGBT rights in Russia.

The network's Dispatches strand also investigated homophobic attacks in Russia in a one-off documentary, which was shown on Channel 4 last night.