It’s a pretty warm day today, for London at least. For the last two weeks, there has only been one event to watch. With the closing ceremony on tonight, the Olympics has almost taken over the airwaves in the UK. Never before in Britain has an event sparked such national pride. It could be the fact that we’ve won more medals than we have since we hosted the Olympics in 1908, or maybe the fact that the biggest celebration of human sporting achievement is hosted in the capital for the third time. It’s possibly just due to the fact that certain people have questioned whether Britain is ready for the Olympics.
It’s certainly not due to the fact that London 2012 has the highest number of openly gay or lesbian competitors in any Olympic games.
It’s certainly not due to the fact that London 2012 has the highest number of openly gay or lesbian competitors in any Olympic games.
I know what you’re thinking. “She doesn’t think having a large number of out sportspeople is good? Is she a bigot? Why is she saying these things?” Well, the answer is quite simple. With an athlete count of around 10,500 in the Olympics, a survey showed that just 21 athletes were openly out as gay or lesbian. Only three of these athletes are men. There are also only two Paralympic athletes that are out.
 |
| Megan Rapinoe of the US soccer team (S) |
When it comes to acceptance of non-heterosexual orientations, sport seems to be lagging far behind areas such as politics, business or the arts worlds. 21 isn’t even 1% of the whole population of the Olympic athletes. There are also only two openly homosexual coaches, both female – in the US and UK’s women’s football (or soccer, for those who were confused). It’s unlikely that gay athletes are being looked over in favour of their straight peers; someone would have complained to the media before now. It’s also extremely unlikely that highly successful athletes and Olympians are just more likely to be straight. Aside from some extreme homophobes and some people who love to stereotype, most people are fairly up to date with the fact that your sexual orientation has little to no bearing on your physique.
So why is there such a small amount of gay athletes? Well, it could be because athletes in the closet are worried about losing their sponsorship if they come out. Although most people imagine that few sponsors are willing to risk the commercial backlash of dropping an athlete because they are gay, there are even fewer athletes that are willing to test that assumption. That said, Adidas spokeswoman Katja Schreiber said the company would stand by any athlete who chooses to come out of the closet.
There are plenty of other reasons to hide their orientation that aren’t generally experienced by gays that aren’t in competitive sports. Bad reactions from teammates are always a risk when in team sports – bad reactions from fans are even worse. Many athletes say when they come out that they didn’t want to distract themselves from their sport. In an industry where the slightest amount of lost sleep or eating differently can change the outcome of a challenge like the Olympics, and already being under close media scrutiny because of their involvement with the event, it’s small wonder that athletes aren’t exactly coming out of the closet in a huge (and incredibly fit) wave.
So why is there such a small amount of gay athletes? Well, it could be because athletes in the closet are worried about losing their sponsorship if they come out. Although most people imagine that few sponsors are willing to risk the commercial backlash of dropping an athlete because they are gay, there are even fewer athletes that are willing to test that assumption. That said, Adidas spokeswoman Katja Schreiber said the company would stand by any athlete who chooses to come out of the closet.
There are plenty of other reasons to hide their orientation that aren’t generally experienced by gays that aren’t in competitive sports. Bad reactions from teammates are always a risk when in team sports – bad reactions from fans are even worse. Many athletes say when they come out that they didn’t want to distract themselves from their sport. In an industry where the slightest amount of lost sleep or eating differently can change the outcome of a challenge like the Olympics, and already being under close media scrutiny because of their involvement with the event, it’s small wonder that athletes aren’t exactly coming out of the closet in a huge (and incredibly fit) wave.
 |
| Carl Hester, of the Team GB equestrian team (S) |
A lot of athletes also come from less accepting countries - an Olympian
coming out in Britain would ruffle a few feathers, but a Russian or
Chinese athlete? They would risk persecution in their country because of
their orientation. Unfortunately some people aren't able to focus on
the important parts of being an athlete. It's not about "are you gay" or
"do you get up really early in the morning" or "do you prefer coffee to
tea"; it's about "are you able to do well at your sport?".
Add in the fact that the cultural differences between the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. There’s nothing wrong with Sochi superficially, but Sochi happens to be in South-West Russia. Russia has not been too friendly to QUILTBAGs recently, what with Saint Petersburg banning “homosexual propaganda” (and also banning the ability to mention things like “gay”, “lesbian”, or “trans*” in public), and Moscow banning gay pride parades for the next hundred years. A hundred years is quite a long time. It means that none of us will be alive to see another Pride parade in Moscow, unless something drastic happens.
Russia has already stated that, unlike London, Sochi will not tote a LGBT Pride House. This comes after a series of laws in the country where, like in St Petersburg, officials are targeting and silencing LGBT people and allies. All in all for LGBT Winter Olympians Russia’s reception will seem… Well, pretty cold.
Add in the fact that the cultural differences between the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. There’s nothing wrong with Sochi superficially, but Sochi happens to be in South-West Russia. Russia has not been too friendly to QUILTBAGs recently, what with Saint Petersburg banning “homosexual propaganda” (and also banning the ability to mention things like “gay”, “lesbian”, or “trans*” in public), and Moscow banning gay pride parades for the next hundred years. A hundred years is quite a long time. It means that none of us will be alive to see another Pride parade in Moscow, unless something drastic happens.
Russia has already stated that, unlike London, Sochi will not tote a LGBT Pride House. This comes after a series of laws in the country where, like in St Petersburg, officials are targeting and silencing LGBT people and allies. All in all for LGBT Winter Olympians Russia’s reception will seem… Well, pretty cold.
 |
| Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver (S) |
Unfortunately the International Olympic Committee upholds the Olympics as being outside politics – this is why countries that you wouldn’t normally see because of political differences (think of North Korea here…) are represented by athletes. The only time the IOC have stepped in to ban a country based on their politics was South Africa during the apartheid. So when LGBT rights activists contacted them asking why the 2014 Olympics was going to go ahead despite this obviously being against their fundamental values, the IOC replied “We aren’t responsible for the running of or setting up of Houses.” So the greatest sports organisation in the world isn’t even going to send out an email advising Sochi’s organisers to get with the times and start a Pride House for LGBT Olympians. I don’t think that’s very representative of good sportsmanship, do you?
Oh but don’t worry, they added, “in this case it isn’t a decision of either us, or the organizing committee in Sochi. From our side, the IOC is an open organization and athletes of all orientations will be welcome at the Games.”
I’ll leave you with a quote from ex-NBA player John Amaechi:
For anyone interested in who, exactly, the out Olympians are, this list comes from here:
In addition, Pia Sundhage, U.S. women’s soccer head coach, is openly gay, as is Hope Powell, Great Britain's women’s soccer coach. The gay Paralympians are Lee Pearson, a male British equestrian athlete, and Claire Harvey, a member of Britain’s women’s volleyball team.
Oh but don’t worry, they added, “in this case it isn’t a decision of either us, or the organizing committee in Sochi. From our side, the IOC is an open organization and athletes of all orientations will be welcome at the Games.”
I’ll leave you with a quote from ex-NBA player John Amaechi:
“That’s a lie. They have no backbone. Look, [South Africa] was perhaps the only notable, noble thing that the IOC has ever done. It’s the only outspoken, outstanding, political move that made them, for just a brief moment, worth their existence. The idea that they have differentiated between race and other things is truly, truly worthy. Because what’s the explanation? Being racist is important. They’re explicitly saying that being racist is important, we won’t allow it, but being homophobic is okay.
“There’s already a lie. I would say implicit, but it’s not, it’s a very explicit lie within sports, and within the Olympics especially. Because most sports have rhetoric about fairness and equality and that type of stuff, but really only the Olympics … have at their core a set of five principles, one of which is that sports is a human right. Which means everybody, and it’s a very eloquent way of saying sports is for everybody.
“And so you’re in this situation — it’s not simply that the Pride House isn’t happening [in Sochi] because there’s no funding, or because there’s no interest. It’s explicitly not allowed. So by doing that you have already said sport is not for everybody. Explicitly, there are people who are not allowed to do sport, and if they are allowed to do sport, they must do it in a way that suits us.”
For anyone interested in who, exactly, the out Olympians are, this list comes from here:
- Marilyn Agliotti (Netherlands, field hockey)
- Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling)Seimone Augustus (U.S., basketball)
- Natalie Cook (Australia, beach volleyball)
- Lisa Dahlkvist (Sweden, soccer)
- Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel (Netherlands, field hockey)
- Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing)
- Edward Gal (Netherlands, equestrian)
- Jessica Harrison (France, triathlon)*
- Carl Hester (Britain, equestrian)
- Alexandra Lacrabère (France, handball)
- Jessica Landström (Sweden, soccer)
- Hedvig Lindahl (Sweden, soccer)
- Matthew Mitcham (Australia, diving)
- Maartje Paumen (Netherlands, field hockey)
- Carole Péon (France, triathlon)*
- Mayssa Pessoa (Brazil, handball)
- Megan Rapinoe (U.S. soccer)
- Lisa Raymond (U.S., doubles tennis)
- Rikke Skov (Denmark, handball)
- Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Germany, cycling)
In addition, Pia Sundhage, U.S. women’s soccer head coach, is openly gay, as is Hope Powell, Great Britain's women’s soccer coach. The gay Paralympians are Lee Pearson, a male British equestrian athlete, and Claire Harvey, a member of Britain’s women’s volleyball team.
Follow @FRW
