There will be at least 43 publicly out gay, lesbian, bi and queer athletes competing at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. There will be 9 out men and 34 out women, 22 of whom are out ice hockey players, making it by far the sport with the most LGBTQ athletes.
The one major sport where out male athletes outnumber women is figure skating, with Milan having at least six men and one woman. Other sports represented by out athletes are skiing (both alpine and freestyle) with five; speed skating, four; skeleton, two; and one each from snowboarding, curling and biathlon.
The number of out athletes continues a trend at the Olympics, both Winter and Summer. Out Olympians say visibility and the desire to be themselves and not have to hide are reasons for coming out.
There were 36 out Olympians at the 2022 Winter Games, 15 in 2018 and seven in 2014, which means there has been a sixfold increase in 12 years. Athletes on Team LGBTQ for the Milan Winter Olympics include: Brittany Bowe, Amber Glenn, Gus Kenworthy, Conor McDermott-Mostowy and Lewis Gibson. The 2024 Paris Summer Games also saw a record, with 199 out athletes competing.
Good luck!!
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