6 LGBT athletes who made history at the Olympic Games, from Tom Daley and Caster Semenya to Ian Thorpe

Jul 15 , 2021

Matthew Mitcham, Ian Thorpe and Tom Daley: gay athletic stars who have broken barriers in the world of sport. Photos: @matthewmitcham88; @homenajesbacanes; @tomdaley/Instagram

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

YouTuber and Olympic diver Tom Daley, and Academy Award-winning Hollywood screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, are one of the world’s most high profile gay couples

Caster Semenya won gold at London and Rio de Janeiro – but now she’s barred from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19

Much like the rest of 2020, the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games became a casualty of Covid-19. Originally expected to take place from 24 July until 9 August 2020, the highly anticipated international event was postponed to the summer of 2021.

With a week to go, athletes and fans around the world are gearing up for what will surely be Olympic Games like never before.

The National Stadium during an athletics test event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Tokyo on May 9, 2021. Photo: AFP

For one, there will be no spectators at this year’s events held in and around Tokyo, as Japan declared a state of emergency in the capital due to rising Covid-19 figures.

However despite these limitations, something that should definitely be celebrated is the ever-increasing diversity of the Olympics’ international competitors. Particularly when it comes to queer representation, an increasing number of athletes from around the world are openly competing as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In their honour, let’s take a trip down Olympian memory lane, celebrating some of the trailblazing LGBTQ+ athletes and Olympic medallists of games past.

Robert Dover, dressage (USA), four bronze

Equestrian Robert Dover became the first openly gay person to compete at the Olympics. Photo: @dovers_world/ Instagram

He came out in 1988 and competed in every Olympics from 1984 until 2004. Throughout his astonishing three-decade Olympic career, Dover won four bronze medals in the team dressage category.

Matthew Mitcham, diving (Australia), one gold

Matthew Mitcham is the first openly gay Olympic gold medallist. Photo: @matthewmitcham88/Instagram

Mitcham’s acrobatic excellence earned him an Olympic gold in the 10 metre platform event, making him the first openly gay Olympic gold medallist. He also became the first Australian male diver to win a gold at an Olympics since 1924.