Both politicians insist that gay athletes travelling to Sochi for the Games needn't worry as despite recent measures outlawing "propaganda of non-traditional sexual practices" and moves to prevent discussion of homosexuality on the news or in public demonstrations, the city would be tolerant of gay visitors. But their assurances are delivered with subtle undertones of intolerance.
"Our hospitality will be extended to everyone who respects the laws of the Russian Federation and doesn't impose their habits on others," Pakhomov told the BBC.
The message to the athletes and Olympic delegations is clear: you can be gay - just keep it to yourself.
What New Zealand's Sochi-bound athletes must wrestle with is what silence on the issue represents - simply a sign of respect and good manners towards the host nation or tacit approval of a law that appears at odds with the Olympic charter? Then there is the fear that the newly invoked law is so vaguely defined that it can be used to prosecute someone just for wearing a rainbow T-shirt or holding hands with someone of the same sex in public, let alone speaking out.
So far the example being set by Olympic officials is to remain tight-lipped. The International Olympic Committee and other high-ranking sports officials have been reluctant to condemn Russia's stance, using the excuse that politics must remain separate from sport.
And yet everything about the Olympics is political - right down to the very selection process that saw Sochi awarded the hosting rights.
