OUR LATEST ISSUE
Number of openly gay Olympians lower than last time
Matthew Mitcham
Of the 10,000 Olympic athletes in Beijing, only 10 are openly gay
"Matthew Mitcham, the diver from Australia who came out earlier this year, is the only openly gay man at the Olympics"
Of the 10,078 athletes arriving at the Birds Nest Stadium in Beijing today, only 10 are openly gay, nine women and just one man. There were 11 out gay athletes at the games in Athens four years ago. Matthew Mitcham, the diver from Australia who came out earlier this year, is the sole gay man, while lesbian athletes include Judith Arndt, the cyclist and Imke Duplitzer, the fencer, both from Germany; Natasha Kai (soccer) and Lauren Lappin (softball), both from America and lesbian couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg, who are both on Norway's handball team. Sports which traditionally boast openly gay competitors like tennis and the various equestrian events this year have no one.
Commentators say that there are many reasons why athletes in Beijing are keeping their sexuality a secret. These range from the reaction of fans and competitors from countries where being gay is still taboo, to the harsh commercial reality that an out gay athlete is less likely to receive corporate sponsorship than a straight one.
Another reason for athletes staying in the closet is, according to gymnast Brandon Triche, that they don't want to add to the stereotyping their sport gets, though he thinks they are wrong in this. "I think those who keep their sexuality a secret and act overly heterosexual hinder the sport," he told Outsports.com. "My experience says that there are no more gay men competing in gymnastics than in any other sport... The misconceptions are so far from the truth. Gymnastics is one of the toughest, hardest and most gruellingly difficult sports in the world."
