Olympian Tom Daley responds to anti-LGBT+ attack from Russian state TV

Olympian Tom Daley has spoken out about the importance of being an out athlete after being targeted in anti-LGBT+ commentary on Russian state TV.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently criticised Russia’s state-run TV channels for their vile homophobic and transphobic coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games. One state-owned channel, Rossiya 1, particularly targeted Daley and trailblazing trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, the BBC reported.

One of the panellists, a member of the Russian parliament, said he was “disgusted” by gay and trans people. He shouted that “we” strongly oppose “all this smut and perversion” and described LGBT+ people as an “abomination”.

Daley, who has won gold and bronze medals at the Tokyo games, said he “had no idea” about the disgusting attack when questioned by reporters, the Evening Standard reported. He explained that he has been in a “bubble” while competing and that athletes “don’t really see anything” when “we’re at the Olympics”.

“History shows that everything that society is has been dictated from the straight, white, male experience,” Daley added. “If we could come together and use different points of view, the world would be a better place.”

Daley told reporters that he feels “extremely lucky” to be representing Great Britain and not a country where LGBT+ people face criminalisation and even death sentences.

“There are 10 countries that are competing at these Olympic Games where being LGBT is punishable by death,” the diver explained.

He continued: “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 worry about any ramifications.