President Obama (Creative Commons)

Obama said the move would not be appropriate and hurt the Americans who have been training for the games, reports The Daily Beast.

“We’ve got a bunch of Americans out there who are training hard, who are doing everything they can to succeed,” he said to ABC. “Nobody’s more offended than me by some of the anti-gay and -lesbian legislation that you’ve been seeing in Russia.”

He added that he looks forward to gay and lesbian athletes bringing home medals.

Russia recently banned "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" around minors, including homosexual public displays of affection and holding rainbow flags. Violators face fines and jail time. Foreigners face deportation.

In the same press conference, Obama said Edward Snowden's leaks have made his job harder, but stressed transparency, asking that Americans have faith in the program.

He also claimed that he still has a good relationship with Vladamir Putin, despite pulling out from their last meeting.

Reach Executive Producer Hannah Madans here.