Photo by Yann Caradec from Paris, France – Yulimar Rojas
Even with COVID-19 and it’s variants continuing to rage on, sports were back, almost to pre pandemic levels.
There were some amazing accomplishments in 2021 by LGBTQ+ athletes.
Let’s start with the Olympics in Japan. A year late and no fans in the stands, but the athletes competed.
For LGBTQ+ athletes it was a record-breaking year with the number, at least 185, of OUT queer athletes that competed in the games. This is a massive increase from previous Olympic Games. These athletes won 33 medals, which if they were one big, gay country, they would have finished 7th for the most medals. They represented the LGBTQ+ community worldwide with Pride, from at least 30 different countries, in 34 different sports.
Some of the highlights:
Kellie Harrington the flag bearer for team Ireland won Gold in boxing.
Yulimar Rojas from Venezuela, not only won Gold in the Triple Jump, but smashed a 26-year-old world record in the process.
Emma Zigg a rower from New Zealand, came out of retirement to compete in her fourth Olympics and won her first Gold Medal.
Tom Daley in his fourth Olympics diving for Great Britain, won his first Gold Medal, and added another Bronze to his collection.
The United States won Gold in Women’s Basketball with 5 OUT athletes.
Canada won Gold in Women’s Soccer also with 5 OUT athletes.
Sweden took the silver medal in Women’s Soccer with 4 OUT athletes.
New Zealand won the Gold in Women’s Rugby with 4 OUT athletes.
This is just a few of the amazing performances by LGBTQ+ athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.
Another major breakthrough for LGBTQ+ athletes was Carl Nassib coming out. He is the first NFL player to come out publicly while still playing.
This was a huge step for Nassib and for the LGBTQ+ community. Though he has battled some injuries, he has had a positive impact on the Raiders football team. Within 24 hours of coming out Nassib’s jersey became the #1 selling jersey across the Fanatics network as fans rallied to support him.
The Chicago Sky won their first WNBA Championship in 2021. They featured OUT stars Candace Parker and married couple Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot.
The Washington Spirt also won their first ever NWSL title against steep odds in a season swirling with controversy around their owner. They featured out players Kelly O’Hara, Anna Heilferty, and Kumi Yokoyama who came out as transgender earlier this year.
Cheers to all the LGBTQ+ Athletes out there leading the way for the next generation.
Let’s make 2022 the Gayest in Sport yet!