Souza frequently posts pictures with his boyfriend on Instagram, writing in April: “As I tell you every day, I love you infinitely. If I, a skinny, tiny boy from the interior of São Paulo, succeeded, you’ll also succeed.
I’m also extremely thin and that scares some people. “I want to be a mirror of nonstandard people. “I want to be remembered as Douglas, who made history as the first homosexual in volleyball who managed to play at a high level,” he said, according to World of Volley. But he won’t have much time to soak up the city - his event is scheduled for the first day of competition. Woolley heads to Tokyo after having snatched gold at the Mexico Open Taekwondo Tournament in June. Just 5-feet-11 and barely 130 pounds, Woolley, 21, of west Dublin, has a slight build that belies a ferocious athleticism, which has made him the top-seeded fighter in his division and Ireland’s first Olympics representative in taekwondo. Ramsey Cardy / Sportsfile via Getty Images Jack Woolley Taekwondo / Ireland Jack Woolley during a Tokyo 2020 Team Ireland announcement for taekwondo in Dublin on March 18. “Life is ups and downs, pole vault is ups and downs, and I’m just along for the ride,” he said at the time. Officials accepted his testimony that he inadvertently absorbed the drug while kissing someone he met through a Craigslist ad. He almost didn’t get to compete in Rio, however, after he tested positive for cocaine at the 2016 Canadian championships in Edmonton. A lot of people don’t have the fortunate opportunities that I have and I’m very grateful for that.” and Canadian citizenship allows him to “be a bit more fearless in my actions. In 2016, he became the youngest man to vault 6 meters, finishing 10th at the Summer Olympics in Rio.īarber came out in an April 2017 Facebook post, according to the National Post, declaring he was “gay and proud” and thanking his parents and friends for their support.īarber said his sexuality “shouldn’t be a big deal,” but in an interview with The Toronto Star, he acknowledged that having dual U.S. Cameron Spencer / Getty Imagesīarber, 27, a track and field star, is a onetime world champion in the pole vault, having reached a height of 5.90 meters at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing.
Shawn Barber Pole Vault / Canada Shawn Barber competes in the Men's Pole Vault final at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast of Australia on April 12, 2018. Thank you for choosing me and for being you, together with me.” , how lucky I am to have found you in this world. “Four years of marriage and every time I remember that day, to affirm our journey together, the smile comes easy. When the space was inaugurated in October, Pride House Tokyo Director Gon Matsunaka told reporters that it “will be a landmark that could change the landscape for LGBTQ people in Japanese society.”
Similar hospitality suites for LGBTQ athletes and visitors have existed since the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games - with the exception of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia - but Pride House Tokyo, in the capital’s bustling Shinjuku district, is the first officially recognized one, and it will remain a permanent community center after the Olympics end. The Games will also mark the first Olympics at which a Pride House has received official recognition from the International Olympic Committee. Shortly after she earned a spot with an impressive 10.86 seconds in the 100-meter dash, Richardson tested positive for marijuana and was handed a one-month suspension that prevents her from competing in Tokyo. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who came out as bisexual in a 2015 tweet and thanked her girlfriend for choosing the fiery orange locks she sported at the June 19 Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. One athlete who won’t be making the trip is U.S. Team USA has a trans member, BMX Freestyle rider Chelsea Wolfe, but as an alternate she might not get to compete. Quinn, a mononymous trans soccer player who uses they/them pronouns, will also compete in the games as part of the Canadian women’s soccer team.