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Content about 2012 Olympics

March 5, 2013
Power Gays: Gay Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski

GSN meets the Olympian who now represents the swimmers of Australia

Australian swimmer Daniel Kowalski specialized in middle and long distance freestyle events – competing at Olympic level in 200m, 400m, and 1500m individual freestyle events and in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Having announced his retirement from competitive swimming in 2002, Kowalski publicly confirmed that he was gay in 2010.

February 27, 2013
Glasgow 2014 games targeting gays and lesbians

The organizers of Commonwealth Games are keen to tap into the value that can be created by the LGBT community

While the London 2012 Olympics have been generally hailed as an outstanding success, there is some lingering skepticism as to what legacy the Olympics have left for the UK’s LGBT community – are there more openly gay or lesbian elite athletes? Is there more grass roots participation in sport by LGBT people? It is perhaps too early to know.

November 16, 2012
Gay diver Matthew Mitcham battled addiction to crystal meth after 2008 Olympics

'Taking it was something I did to take my mind off things that were upsetting me - to make me feel better about myself'

Gay Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham reveals in his new autobiography Twists and Turns that he battled an addiction to crystal meth after winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

In the book, to be released on Monday (20 November), Mitcham writes about how he went from the heights of Olympic glory to suffering from anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

August 12, 2012
Gay talent George Michael, Jessie J and Pet Shop Boys help close Olympics

London closes 2012 Summer Olympic games with a celebration of British music talent including top gay and bisexual names

Gay pop stars George Michael, Jessie J and Neil Tennant were part of the line-up of British singing talent given the honor of closing the London 2012 Olympics today (12 August).

Tennant, half of 80s pop group Pet Shop Boys with Chris Lowe, performed their classic West End Girls as part of a medley of music celebrating London. The scene was set a backdrop of the UK capital’s famous landmarks, covered in newsprint with celebrated quotes from British literature.

August 12, 2012
London 2012 Olympics: an LGBT legacy?

How a geeky gay boy became a sports hero and is now spearheading the bid to provide an LGBT legacy from the London 2012 Olympics

I'm in my mid-40s. School sports on the rugby fields of Wales was not inspiring for a young gay boy, slightly geeky and the shortest in the class. Games lessons would start with the humiliating ceremony of the two sportiest jocks being selected by the PE teacher, and they would pick off, one by one, the fittest lads for their teams. I would always be left until last – which meant I wasn't even chosen at all.

July 28, 2012
Pro-gay marriage ad airs in US during Olympic ceremony

Republican Cheryl Pflug speaks out about why she believes gay people should have the freedom to marry in new advert

A pro-marriage equality advert began airing in the US last night (27 July) during the local airing of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.

The advert features Republican senator Cheryl Pflug, who talks about gay couples she knows and the reason why they deserve to be able to marry.

In the video, Pflug says: ‘I know a number of gay and lesbian couples that have been together for 40 years. I saw in these couples love, commitment, a sharing of a life together: everything that makes for a good marriage.

July 22, 2012
Gay dating app Grindr crashes due to Olympic ‘overuse’

Within minutes of Olympic teams arriving, the app crashes in East London due to high volume of demand

The gay dating app Grindr crashed due to a massive increase in demand, which some believe has something to do with the first Olympic athletes arriving in London.

Technical experts believe the arrival of the teams on Monday (16 July) crashed the service in East London, the place where many athletes and tourists are staying during the event.

Grindr allows users to pinpoint potential partners using iPhone’s GPS system, as well as chatting to new people and friends.

July 16, 2012
Olympic shooters say they're being discriminated against over gays

Married Australian Olympic shooters Russell and Lauryn Mark have told newspapers they will not be allowed to room together in the London Olympic Village but claim there are gay couples on the Australian team who will be allowed to

A married heterosexual couple who are both on the Australian team for the London 2012 Olympics have claimed that they are being discriminated against over gay couples because they were told they couldn’t share a room in the Olympic Village.

Shooter Russell Mark told News Ltd newspapers that he was told that he and wife Lauryn Mark, also on the Australian shooting team, would have to stay at a hotel at their own expense if they wished to room together during the games.

July 3, 2012
Media leaks are ruining the Olympic surprise

Reports in the press are taking the surprise out of plans for the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, says East London lesbian and campaigner Linda Wilkinson

Like many people I didn’t get tickets for the London 2012 Olympics. Living in an Olympic borough, where my family have lived for a few hundred years, and being an ex-athlete I volunteered to get into the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The thousands of us who actually made it through the selection process are sworn to secrecy. So to put it bluntly we are all pretty pissed off with the leakages about the event.

Then there are the helicopters, flying low enough to give us crew cuts, filming a work in process that is not ready yet for general consumption.

May 16, 2012
Will gay people be ‘invisible’ in London’s 2012 Olympics?

GSN investigates what London’s Olympic organizers have done to involve LGBT people, give them a presence at the games and leave a legacy for gay sport

‘Hard to spot and easy to miss,’ that’s veteran activist Peter Tatchell’s take on the LGBT presence at the London Olympics.

If he’s right, it’ll be a sad irony. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people seem to have been integral to winning the games for London (diversity was a key part of the bid to the International Olympic Committee) and gay individuals and businesses will also play a big role in delivering the games.