Out of the closet at the Olympics

Only 10 of over 10,000 participants at the Beijing Olympics have openly declared themselves gay

BEIJING: Only 10 of the 10,500 athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics are openly gay, according to a study by a gay website. Some gay athletes fear that coming out would bring disapproval from fans and team mates, others worry about the damage to endorsements, Outsports.com said. Unwarranted media attention could also detract from their performances, it added.

Nine of the gay athletes named by Outsports were lesbians and their sports ranged from fencing to cycling. Just one, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, was a man. Outsports said this must be way short of the real figure and argued that a more accurate estimate could even reach 1,000. “For all we know, there is a gay rower or badminton player somewhere known as gay within his or her sport, but not in a larger public context,” it said.

Outsports found the figure disappointing especially after the efforts of tennis players like Martina Navratilova and Amelie Mauresmo to be more open about their sexuality. Eli Portnoy, chief brand strategist at the Portnoy Group, a US consultancy specialised in branding, said being openly gay could still work against athletes. “Many brands would be wary about promoting a gay athlete,” he said, citing the example of US diving gold medallist Greg Louganis whose endorsements waned once he came out. Australian diver Mitcham said he just wanted to be known as a successful Australian diver and argued that his homosexuality should not be an issue. “It’s everybody else who thinks it’s special when homosexuality and elite sport go together,” he said.

It concluded that gays still faced a major battle being recognised in sport for their talent, not their sexuality.