LGBT athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games
, gay, bisexual, and transgender athletes have competed in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, either openly, or having come out some time afterward. Relatively few LGBT athletes have competed openly during the Olympics. Out of the 104 openly gay and lesbian participants in the Summer Olympics as of 2012, 53% have won a medal. Cyd Zeigler, Jr., founder of the LGBT athletics website Outsports, reasoned that this could be the result of the relieved focus and lack of "burden" an athlete would have after coming out, that "high-level athletes" are more likely to feel secure in coming out as their careers have been established, or their performance was mere coincidence and had no correlation with their sexual orientation at all.
Marc Naimark of the Federation of Gay Games called the lack of openly gay athletes a symptom, not the problem, of the Olympic Games. He said the International Olympic Committee should pressure countries to repeal anti-gay laws the same way it once excluded South Africa for its apartheid system of racial segregation, and "more recently, succeeded in getting all competing nations to include female athletes on their teams in London".
In 2014, after that year's Winter Olympics were held in Russia — a country that had recently banned the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships" among minors, the IOC amended its host city contracts for the 2022 Winter Olympics to include an anti-discrimination provision based on Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter.
Alongside the Olympics, international multi-sport events have also been organized specifically for LGBT athletes, including the Gay Games and World OutGames.
By year
2008 Summer Olympics
In the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, only 15 athletes out of the 10,708 participants were openly gay, lesbian or bisexual, including:- Matthew Mitcham
- Mathew Helm
- Gearoid Towey
- Judith Arndt
- Imke Duplitzer
- Gro Hammerseng
- Katja Nyberg
- Natasha Kai
- Lauren Lappin
- Victoria Sandell Svensson
- Rennae Stubbs
- Linda Bresonik
- Vicky Galindo
- Tzipora Obziler
2010 Winter Olympics
Of the 2,566 athletes who participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, only six athletes, all women, were openly lesbian or bisexual:- Renate Groenewold
- Sanne van Kerkhof
- Ireen Wust
- Vibeke Skofterud
- Sarah Vaillancourt
- Erika Holst
2012 Summer Olympics
- Nicola Adams
- Marilyn Agliotti
- Judith Arndt
- Seimone Augustus
- Natalie Cook
- Lisa Dahlkvist
- Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel
- Imke Duplitzer
- Edward Gal
- Regina George
- Jessica Harrison
- Carl Hester
- Karen Hultzer
- Alexandra Lacrabère
- Kim Lammers
- Jessica Landström
- Hedvig Lindahl
- Matthew Mitcham
- Maartje Paumen
- Carole Péon
- Mayssa Pessoa
- Megan Rapinoe
- Lisa Raymond
- Rikke Skov
- Elodie Godin
A slightly larger number of LGBT athletes competed in London, with 23 out of more than 10,000 competitors, and only three gay men. Outsports co-founder Jim Buzinski considered it to be an "absurdly low number", and considered that in comparison to the arts, politics or business worlds, "sports is still the final closet in society".
2012 Summer Paralympics
At least two out athletes competed in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.- Claire Harvey
- Lee Pearson Medals: Team Championship, Gold; Individual Championship Grade Ib, Silver; Freestyle Dressage Grade Ib, Bronze
2014 Winter Olympics
- Belle Brockhoff
- Anastasia Bucsis
- Daniela Iraschko-Stolz
- Barbara Jezeršek
- Cheryl Maas
- Sanne van Kerkhof
- Ireen Wüst
In the face of mounting anti-gay pressure, the Russian LGBT Sport Federation hosted a gay-friendly sport event in Moscow in order to boost gay pride and provide a positive image of LGBT Russians. The event had 200 participants from seven nations. This occurred during the break between the Olympics and Paralympics.
2016 Summer Olympics
In the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a record 68 athletes out of the 10,444 participants were openly gay, lesbian or bisexual, nearly double the LGBT athletes who took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics. There were no openly transgender athletes, but Rolling Stone magazine reported that two transgender athletes would compete in Rio, based on anonymous details in IOC papers. 51 women and 17 men - who are now openly LGBT - competed in this Olympiade :List of LGBT athletes in the 2016 Rio Olympics |
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2016 Summer Paralympics
At least 12 out athletes participated in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, with 10 coming home with medals.- Jen Armbruster Bronze
- Monique Burkland Gold
- Abby Dunkin Gold
- Megan Giglia Gold
- Allison Jones
- Angela Madsen
- Asya Miller Bronze
- Desiree Miller Gold
- Cindy Ouellet Gold
- Lee Pearson Gold, Individual freestyle test; Silver, Equestrian Individual Championship Test
- Moran Samuel Bronze, Women's Single Sculls
- Marieke Vervoort Silver, Women's 400M; Bronze, Women's 100M
2018 Winter Olympics
16 out athletes — twelve women and four men — participated in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea: It marked the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics that male athletes competed who were openly gay; Canadian figure skater Eric Radford became the first out gay male athlete ever to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, while figure skater Adam Rippon became the first American out gay male athlete ever to win a Winter Olympic medal, both in Team Figure Skating. Radford later also won Bronze in Pairs Figure Skating. A fifth male athlete, Guillaume Cizeron, came out after the event.- Brittany Bowe
- Belle Brockhoff
- Guillaume Cizeron
- Jorik Hendrickx
- Daniela Iraschko-Stolz
- Brianne Jenner
- Barbara Jezeršek
- Gus Kenworthy
- Cheryl Maas
- Simona Meiler
- Sarka Pancochova
- Eric Radford
- Emilia Ramboldt
- Adam Rippon
- Ireen Wüst
- Sophie Vercruyssen
- Kim Meylemans
2018 Winter Paralympics
- Cindy Ouellet
Pride House
An attempt to obtain a Pride House at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia was struck down by the Ministry of Justice, which refused to approve the registration of the NGO set up to organize the Pride House. The ban was upheld by Krasnodar Krai Judge Svetlana Mordovina on the basis of the Pride House inciting "propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation which can undermine the security of the Russian society and the state, provoke social-religious hatred, which is the feature of the extremist character of the activity".
As it became clear that no Pride House could take place in Sochi, a number of leading LGBT sports organisations got together to promote the idea of cities elsewhere hosting their own Pride Houses during the Sochi Olympics. Pride House Toronto, which is to be the largest Pride House ever and due to be held during the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, was already very advanced with its plans for a series of events during the Sochi Olympics highlighting the anti-LGBT laws and LGBT rights in general. In addition to Pride House Toronto, a group led by Pride Sports UK will host other Pride Houses of which Manchester will be the largest. Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Glasgow, Manchester, London, Copenhagen, Paris, Brussels, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Wellington, São Paulo, and Brasilia have also expressed interest.
LGBT-oriented multi-sport events
Alongside the Olympics proper, several major multi-sport athletics competitions have been organized with a specific focus on LGBT athletes, such as the Gay Games and World OutGames. The Gay Games were first held in 1982 as the Gay Olympics; as the brainchild of former Olympian Tom Waddell, its goals were to promote the spirit of inclusion and participation, as well as to promote the pursuit of personal growth. The 1994 edition in New York City surpassed the size of the 1992 Summer Olympics with 10,864 athletes, in comparison to Barcelona's 9,356. Similarly, in Europe, the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation organizes the EuroGames.The World Outgames, as organized by the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association, were first held in 2006 following a dispute between the Federation of Gay Games and the organizing committee of the 2006 Gay Games, which were initially awarded to Montreal. With over 8,000 participants, the inaugural World OutGames were the largest international sporting event to be held in Montreal since the 1976 Summer Olympics.
The Gay Games were founded by former Olympian Tom Waddell and originally went from 28th Aug- 5th Sep 1982. Hosted in San Francisco. The Gay Games have continued with the next being planned for 12–19 November 2022 in
Hong Kong this will be the first time the games have been to Asia
During the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck athletes such as John Curry from Great Britain were outed before the closing ceremony
History of LGBT Athletes in the Olympic Games
According to the LGBTI Olympic historian Tony Scupham-Bilton, at least 170 LGBTI athletes have competed as Olympians, dating back to at least 1928. That's when a young German runner named Otto Peltzer took the track for Germany. “Otto the Strange,” as he was known, was one of the athletic glories of the Weimar Republic, setting both national and world middle-distance track records in the 1920s. Despite his success, he failed to medal in either the ’28 or ’32 Games. The take over of the Nazi Party caused a crackdown on Gay athletes, and while there had been anti-gay law's in Germany for 60 years they were never fully enforced until the Nazi's took over. Peltzer was arrested and convicted on charges that he fornicated with young runners. Stella Walsh was scrutinized for her gender while competing at the games after being accused that she was a man posing as a woman. Athlete's who have been accused of competing as the wrong gender have been subject to invasive physical examinations.Members of the LGBT community have been competing at the games for years. Lesbians make up the largest portion of known LGBT athletes including some of the greatest of all time. Babe Didrikson Zaharias who was a professional golfer was named the AP Top Woman Athlete of the Century as she also brought back two gold medals and a silver in track and field at the 1932 Olympic Games.
List of LGBT Olympians
The following is a list of LGBT sportspeople who have competed at the Olympics. This includes athletes who competed while not being publicly known as LGBT at that time. Medals won are in parentheses.- Helena Åberg
- Nicola Adams
- Francilla Agar
- Marilyn Agliotti
- Camilla Andersen
- Nadine Angerer
- Alyson Annan
- Judith Arndt
- Seimone Augustus
- Shawnacy Barber
- Betty Baxter
- Kajsa Bergqvist
- Sue Bird
- Miriam Blasco
- Brian Boitano
- Tom Bosworth
- Brittany Bowe
- Sabine Braun
- Linda Bresonik
- Belle Brockhoff
- Chantal de Bruijn
- Rachele Bruni
- Anastasia Bucsis
- Kris Burley
- Balian Buschbaum
- Jeffrey Buttle
- Karin Büttner-Janz
- Caitlin Cahow
- Isadora Cerullo
- Mark Chatfield
- Darren Chiacchia
- Julie Chu
- Callan Chythlook-Sifsof
- Guillaume Cizeron
- Kerron Clement
- Natalie Cook
- Rose Cossar
- Scott Cranham
- Toller Cranston
- Orlando Cruz
- John Curry
- Lisa Dahlkvist
- Tom Daley
- Eleni Daniilidou
- Mayssa Raquel de Oliveira
- Casey Dellacqua
- Elena Delle Donne
- Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel
- Robert Dover
- Nancy Drolet
- Greg Duhaime
- Imke Duplitzer
- Norman Elder
- Terence Etherton
- Nicola Fairbrother
- John Fennell
- Gigi Fernández
- Michelle Ferris
- Amini Fonua
- Mark Foster
- Edward Gal
- Vicky Galindo
- Randy Gardner
- Timothy Goebel
- Theresa Goh
- Kelly Griffin
- Brittney Griner
- Inka Grings
- Joan Guetschow
- Víctor Gutiérrez
- Peter Häggström
- Gro Hammerseng
- Jessica Harrison
- Bruce Hayes
- Jayna Hefford
- Mathew Helm
- Jorik Hendrickx
- Isabell Herlovsen
- Carl Hester
- Edel Therese Høiseth
- Ursula Holl
- Erika Holst
- Diego Hypólito
- Katie Hoyle
- Karen Hultzer
- Mia Hundvin
- Daniela Iraschko-Stolz
- Colin Jackson
- Patrick Jeffrey
- Brianne Jenner
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Barbara Jezeršek
- Steffi Jones
- Natasha Kai
- Kathleen Kauth
- Johan Kenkhuis
- Gus Kenworthy
- Sanne van Kerkhof
- Lotte Kiærskou
- Sandra Kirby
- Jen Kish
- Dominik Koll
- Daniel Kowalski
- Charline Labonté
- Alexandra Lacrabère
- Kim Lammers
- Jessica Landström
- Lauren Lappin
- Marjorie Larney
- Marion Lay
- Mark Leduc
- Malin Levenstad
- Hedvig Lindahl
- Ylva Lindberg
- Lori Lindsey
- Ari-Pekka Liukkonen
- Greg Louganis
- Cheryl Maas
- Robbie Manson
- Brian Marshall
- Conchita Martínez
- Ian Matos
- Amélie Mauresmo
- Marnie McBean
- Robert McCall
- Susan McGreivy
- Erin McLeod
- Linda Medalen
- Lauren Meece
- Simona Meiler
- Harriet Metcalf
- Kim Meylemans
- Hans Peter Minderhoud
- Matthew Mitcham
- Eric Mitchell
- Nadine Müller
- Leigh-Ann Naidoo
- Martina Navratilova
- Ashley Nee
- Ondrej Nepela
- Robert Newton
- Bente Nordby
- Katja Nyberg
- Tzipora Obziler
- Ryan O'Meara
- Brian Orser
- Caroline Ouellette
- Robert Páez
- Šárka Pančochová
- Anja Pärson
- Maartje Paumen
- Lee Pearson
- Christinna Pedersen
- Fiona Pennie
- Otto Peltzer
- Carole Péon
- Mayssa Pessoa
- Beate Peters
- Mason Phelps Jr
- Erin Phillips
- David Pichler
- Brian Pockar
- Jillion Potter
- Peter Prijdekker
- Eric Radford
- Emilia Ramboldt
- Megan Rapinoe
- Dora Ratjen
- Lisa Raymond
- Helen Richardson-Walsh
- Kate Richardson-Walsh
- Adam Rippon
- Ronald Robertson
- Robbie Rogers
- Craig Rogerson
- Petra Rossner
- Olivier Rouyer
- Tessie Savelkouls
- Victoria Sandell Svensson
- Caroline Seger
- Guenter Seidel
- Caster Semenya
- Edinanci Silva
- Blake Skjellerup
- Vibeke Skofterud
- Rikke Skov
- Casey Stoney
- Martina Strutz
- Rennae Stubbs
- Pia Sundhage
- Sheryl Swoopes
- Stacy Sykora
- Blyth Tait
- Melissa Tancredi
- Diana Taurasi
- Penny Taylor
- Arjen Teeuwissen
- Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
- Mark Tewksbury
- Carole Thate
- Ian Thorpe
- Susannah Townsend
- Markus Thormeyer
- Sarah Vaillancourt
- Marleen van Iersel
- Julia Vasconcelos
- Dan Veatch
- Sophie Vercruyssen
- Sunette Viljoen
- Linda Villumsen
- Lisa-Marie Vizaniari
- Tom Waddell
- Kira Walkenhorst
- Ji Wallace
- Sarah Walsh
- Abby Wambach
- Jeffrey Wammes
- Saskia Webber
- Johnny Weir
- Marieke Wijsman
- Stacy Wilson
- Spencer Wilton
- Chris Witty
- Ireen Wüst
- Kirsty Yallop
- Babe Didrikson Zaharias