The International Olympic Committee last week made a unanimous decision to add "sexual orientation" to the anti-discrimination language of the Olympic Charter known as Principle 6.

The move follows the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, which was nicknamed "The Homophobic Olympics." That competition served as a painful reminder of the lack of LGBT rights in Russia and in so many other places around the world.

Laws were passed to ban "gay propaganda." Arrests were made of LGBT activists simply for holding a banner that said, "Discrimination is incompatible with the Olympic movement."

The turmoil that engulfed Sochi also convinced the IOC that a change in policy was necessary to protect LGBT athletes and to save the dignity of the Olympics.

The charter now reads, "The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Many have worked and looked forward to this day for years, but clearly, Sochi provided the necessary spark to ignite a fire that desperately needed to be lit.

Media skeptics and doubters among athletes and fans see this amendment as purely a PR move by the IOC to mend a tarnished image.

However, this is a "policy into action" moment for the organization that – if done properly - can move from a reactionary announcement met with doubt to an evolved Olympics and a much stronger image.

In the months leading up to Sochi, such key sponsors as Coca-Cola found themselves caught in a challenging corporate communications situation when they too chose not to take a public stance against Russia’s discriminatory "gay propaganda" law, potentially unraveling the company’s positive image built on years of LGBT community support.

By changing Principle 6, the IOC has the chance to make systematic changes that would affect all athletes and create a new face of the games.

Similarly, it presents an opportunity for sponsors to move from a reactionary stance to a progressive, proactive position that consumers want and expect.

In Sochi, LGBT athletes and spectators were not only shunned from the winter games, they were threatened with arrest. The magic of the games and the focus on the extraordinary feats of the athletes was lost. Being gay, it was particularly painful for me to know that young LGBT athletes who had dedicated their lives to training for the Olympics were being forced to monitor their every move and that officially there was little response from the organizers.

But as difficult as the games were, the event brought a great deal of international attention to the lack of LGBT rights across the globe. The games provided a much needed spotlight on the discrimination that exists in sports and international policy.

The repressive Russian policy ended up creating a completely opposite effect. The Sochi games inspired people to speak out, bringing about the Olympic spirit of equality and fairness. And the policy presented companies and sponsors with an opportunity to voice their opinion.

Principle 6 must be the start of a larger movement to institutionalize equality in the Olympics. The IOC again has created an opportunity for conversation. Perhaps this time the discussion is not about medal counts, but rather the power that the Olympics has to shape culture and the opportunity it provides sponsors to reflect and align with a changing world.

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Joe Keenan is VP in MWW's LGBT practice. He's based in Los Angeles.