Tom Daley condemned anti-LGBTQ remarks aired during Russian TV Olympic coverage: 'It takes a lot to come out and speak openly'
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Lauren Edmonds
Aug 8, 2021, 01:23 IST
Tom Daley and his teammate Matty Lee took home gold in the men's 10-meter diving event.
Han Haidan/China News Service via Getty Images
Tom Daley condemned slurs Russian TV broadcasters reportedly used to describe LGBTQ Olympians, including himself.
Daley told The Telegraph he feels "extremely lucky" to be an openly gay man and gold-medal diver.
He said that as a publicly out athlete, "it takes a lot to come out and speak openly."
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The Telegraph reported Saturday that the International Olympic Committee has launched an investigation into Russia's state-run Tokyo Olympics TV broadcaster that aired a segment in which broadcasters called LGBTQ Olympians "dirt," "perverts," and "psychopaths."
British diver and Olympic gold-medalist Tom Daley condemned homophobic slurs broadcasters on the Russia-1 network made toward publicly out LGBTQ athletes - including himself - telling The Telegraph that "it takes a lot to come out and speak openly."
Broadcasters on the Russia-1 network criticized Daley and his husband, Dustin Lance Black, who share a 3-year-old son together, The Telegraph reported.
"In Britain, of course, they have their own values," broadcaster Olga Skabeyeva said in a Russia-1 broadcast with a photo of Daley and Black, according to The Telegraph. "If these guys weren't raising a child together, then it'd be their business. They at least compete with other blokes."
Daley told The Telegraph that he initially "had no idea" about the Russia-1 broadcast, saying: "When we're at the Olympics, we're in a bubble and we don't really see anything."
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"History shows that everything that society is has been dictated from the straight, white, male experience. If we could come together and use different points of view, the world would be a better place," Daley told The Telegraph.
Daley added: "I feel extremely lucky to be representing Team GB, to be able to stand on the diving board as myself, with a husband and a son, and not have to worry about any ramifications."
Daley added that he hoped seeing LGBTQ athletes at the Tokyo Olympics would help change people's attitudes.
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"I just hope that seeing 'out' sportspeople will help people to feel like they are less alone, like they are valued, like they can achieve something,' Daley told The Telegraph. "When I was growing up, I always knew I was different. I always heard people saying bad things. You never feel as if you can say anything. You swallow yourself up, and you feel like you're never going to be anyone."
He continued to The Telegraph, saying: "It can be quite daunting and scary for people, especially in sports where the fanbases might not be as accepting. I didn't realise the impact it would have on people around the world to live as myself. I feel extremely proud of that."
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