The Olympic gold medalist believes that countries that impose the death penalty on queer people should be banned from the Olympics and World Cup

Posted On: June 20, 2024

Sport

Photo: Kyodo / NTB.

Stuper, gold medalist and recently knighted Tom Daley, will use his influence to fight for queer rights.

Olympic diver Tom Daley was recently knighted in the Order of the British Empire. Daley, who was given the title of Officer, said BBC Breakfast that he felt a responsibility to make the British Commonwealth a more inclusive place.

Feel responsible

“I’m very proud to be honored with this title,” said Daley, adding that he feels a responsibility to make the entire Commonwealth a better place for LGBT+ people, for women, for people of color, to be more inclusive and accepting.

The Commonwealth of Nations is the collective term for the United Kingdom and 53 other sovereign states, most of which are former British colonies. Homosexuality is only legal in 19 states of the Commonwealth, while it is prohibited in the other 35 states. In Brunei and northern Nigeria, homosexuals risk the death penalty.

“By receiving my knighthood, it is now my responsibility to help create change and an environment where everyone can be whatever they want to be, wherever they come from,” Daley said.

Daley won his first gold medal in diving at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Will stop LGBT+ participation of hostile countries

But it’s not just her knitting that sets her apart from others. Daley has on several occasions carried out violent attacks against sports organizers and championships spanning countries where queer people risk the death penalty or prison. Among other things, he stated that he wanted to stop countries criminalizing LGBT+ people from competing in the Olympics.

When he received the Sports Prize at the Attitude Awards last October, he said he felt obliged to create change.

“I will make it my mission, hopefully before the 2024 Paris Olympics, to help ensure that countries where LGBT people are punished by death are not allowed to compete in the Olympics,” Daley said.

Daley also criticized FIFA, organizers of the soccer World Cup, for choosing Qatar as the host country for the 2022 championship.

“I don’t think it’s OK to host a sporting event in a country that criminalizes human rights,” Daley said in his acceptance speech. “It will be my mission to change that.”