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Gay Olympian loses out
Matthew Mitcham
Gay Olympian Matthew Mitcham has claimed that being gay has cost him sponsorship
The 21-year-old Australian was the champion in the 10 meters diving platform, and was the only openly gay athlete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
However the corporate sponsorship he might normally have expected to receive after his Olympic success has failed to materialise. Compared to his fellow medalists, Mitcham has received just one corporate deal to date with iconic underwear and swimwear brand aussieBum.
“I haven’t experienced any homophobia in sport but I’m hoping I’m not experiencing any in the corporate world because I haven’t had any companies rushing to sponsor me,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “It took me a very long time to secure any form of sponsorship after the Olympics and that’s still my only sponsorship.”
Mitcham is currently competing in the third leg of the World Diving Series in Sheffield.
