A record number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes are set to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. According to Outsports, there are at least 30 out-and-proud Paralympians taking part in the games, which began yesterday (August 24) – this is more than double the number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes who took part in the last Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Meet So Wa-wai, Hong Kong’s six-time Paralympic gold medallist At least eight countries are represented by a member of team LGBTQ+. The nations bringing more than one Paralympian to Tokyo are the US and UK with nine athletes each; Canada with three; and Australia, Germany and Brazil, with two athletes representing each country. The record number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes in the Paralympics comes after another record-breaking number of out athletes in the Olympics : at least 185 of them competed in Tokyo, including diver Tom Daley and footballer Megan Rapinoe. That was more than three times the number of out Olympians who went to Rio in 2016, and more than all of the out Olympians who took part in all of the previous Summer and Winter Games combined. Meet Hong Kong’s Olympics hero Siobhan Haughey – who just won double silver in Tokyo On Monday, August 23, LGBTQ+ media advocacy group GLAAD hosted an Instagram Live interview with sitting volleyball champion Monique Matthews. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GLAAD (@glaad) The 32-year-old, who won a gold medal in Rio and a silver in London in 2012, said that she hopes to use the visibility of the event to help raise funds for her husband Landon’s gender transition. “Most people see us as an inspiration because we are disabled, so they usually look past if you’re LGBTQ+ but we want them to see the whole us. Which is why I’m happy that so many [athletes] are out this year compared to last Paralympics,” Matthews said. “Hopefully it just continues to grow, and they know that they have support and there are people there for them,” she added. How Jessica Springsteen went from rock icon’s daughter to Olympic equestrian Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’s chief communications officer, told the New York Daily News in a statement that the Paralympic Games “by nature are a celebration of inclusion and equality, and the historic number of out LGBTQ+ athletes taking part this year is something to celebrate”. The increased visibility that the games will bring to the athletes will help to fight systemic discrimination and stigma, Ferraro said. “Every athlete, regardless of ability, gender, race or sexual orientation, deserves a chance to participate in sports and to represent their communities with pride,” he added. 4 K-pop idols paving the way by coming out as LGBTQ+ The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which were delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will run through September 5. Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .