There. I’m feeling more patriotic even as I type this.
Happy Monday – Go USA!
Olympic First – “Refugee Olympic Team”
For the first time ever, a group of 10 refugees from 5 countries will compete at the Olympics under one flag as the “Refugee Olympic Team.”
From CBS News:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected the 10 athletes from more than 40 candidates based on sporting skill, verified refugee status, and personal background.
The teammates originally hail from four of the world’s most troubled hotspots: Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. They were officially announced by the IOC’s Executive Board in June.
In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march together under the Olympic flag.
Tonight, the first-ever #TeamRefugees will also stand before the world and prove that you can succeed no matter where you’re from.— President Obama (@POTUS) August 5, 2016
Olympics: Highlight From Opening Ceremony
His name is Pita Nikolas Taufatofua, and as the oiled-up, shirtless flag bearer for Tonga, he certainly took Twitter by storm during the Parade of Nations at Friday’s Opening Ceremonies.
According to his personal website, the Australian-born 32-year-old taekwondo athlete has spent “his whole adult life working in homeless shelters with the underprivileged to show and teach people the power of self belief.”
Oh, and then there’s the Instagram. You won’t want to miss that 🙂
Give this man ALL the medals right now #OpeningCeremony https://t.co/tABwWZyQsb pic.twitter.com/5doilAUZnq— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 6, 2016
Sup Tonga, come here often? pic.twitter.com/FSaflyzsoD— BuzzFeed Canada (@BuzzFeedCanada) August 6, 2016
News Round-Up: May 24, 2016
Some news stories you may have missed:
• Twitter really wants Marvel to #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend
• North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law, HB2, has already cost Mecklenburg County $285 million and 1,300 jobs. And that’s just ONE county.
• After more than 50 women have accused comedian Bill Cosby of inappropriate sexual behavior, he’s now been ordered to stand trial for one of those alleged sexual assaults.
• The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus not only accepts the apology of the DJ who “pushed the button” that caused much turmoil at a recent San Diego Padres game, but they are asking that he get his job back.
• The International Olympic Committee will be shipping 450,000 condoms to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic games. That’s three times what was provided at the London 2012 Olympic Village. #BowChickaBowWow
• Pop music royal Mariah Carey has inked a deal with the Hallmark Channel to develop, produce and star in three TV movies over the next two years.
• Ariana Grande’s new music video for “Into You” pairs her with America’s Next Top Model hottie Don Benjamin. The attractive couple wear some sexy denim and skin in the pop-colored vid.
Hunky Olympic Shier Gus Kenworthy Comes Out
U.S. Olympic skier and total hottie, Gus Kenworthy, who’s won in just about every major freeskier event in the world – AFP World Championships overall titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013, won silver at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia and won his first medal, a bronze, at the X Games in Tignes, France in the slopestyle event – came out on social media and in an interview with ESPN:
Gus Kenworthy started coming out to his family and closest friends nearly two years ago. His mom said she knew. His brother said he was proud. His best friend voiced unrelenting support. And if Gus Kenworthy were an average 24-year-old, the announcement — the story — might have ended there.
But Gus Kenworthy is not an average 24-year-old. He is the top freeskier on the planet, an Olympic medalist, a face of the X Games. He is an elite athlete competing in the world of action sports, where sponsors — and income — are inextricably linked to image. In other words, he is an athlete with a lot to lose. But Gus Kenworthy is ready to tell that world, his sport, his truth. And so, as we sit down together in Los Angeles in September, he begins the only way he knows how: “I guess I should start by saying, ‘I’m gay.’”
Congratulations Gus! You’re coming out will inspire millions.
The response from the Olympic world was universally positive:
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) October 22, 2015
Meet @usfreeskiing‘s @guskenworthy! We are PROUD to say you are a part of #TeamUSA! https://t.co/ywOvvgLigu
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) October 22, 2015
Tonight On HBO: “Back On Board – Greg Louganis”
Do not miss “Back on Board: Greg Louganis,” a documentary following the life of openly gay and HIV-positive Olympian Greg Louganis, on HBO tonight at 10PM.
Only 28-years-old when he was first diagnosed with HIV, Louganis was one of the first openly gay men in sports. The documentary chronicles the four-time Olympic gold medalist’s life since becoming a household name in the 1980s.
“I didn’t feel welcomed in diving,” Louganis, now 55 years old, says in the trailer. “There was homophobia. Some of my teammates were calling my fag.”
Louganis’s decision to live openly and authentically paved the way for several other gay and lesbian athletes, such as Michael Sam, Jason Collins, Robbie Rogers, Brittney Griner, Orlando Cruz, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey and Tom Daley.
Out Australian Bobsledder Simon Dunn Named Attitude’s “Hottest Man In The World”
Openly gay Australian bobsledder, Simon Dunn – currently training for the 2016 Olympics in Calgary – has been named “Hottest Man In The World” for 2015 by Attitude Magazine.
The openly gay athlete is a brand new entry this year, usurping two-time champ Tom Daley at the top of poll – which is decided by your lovely selves and this year had the most votes ever. Check out the full top ten here.
Simon made headlines around the world last year after joining the Australian bobsleigh team – making him the world’s first openly gay man to do so. Speaking to Attitude recently, the former Sydney Convicts rugby union player rugby admitted he was ready to find a man, settle down and start a family, but that he’ll only be getting married when it’s legal to do so in his home country of Australia.
Reacting to his victory, Simon said: “It’s flattering enough to have been voted on to the HOT 100 at all but to think I have been voted number one and beat guys like Tom Daley and Liam Payne is beyond me! I’m absolutely convinced my mother had all her friends vote for me – thanks mum!”
Dunn appeared in Attitude Magazine’s Naked Issue earlier this year.
Here’s Attitude’s full top 10 list for 2015:
1. Simon Dunn
2. Channing Tatum
3. Liam Payne
4. Tom Daley
5. Chris Evans
6. Chris Pratt
7. Zac Efron
8. David Beckham
9. Stuart Reardon
10. Joe Lycett
International Olympic Committee Adds Sexual Orientation To Principle 6
From Buzzfeed: On Monday, the International Olympic Committee voted unanimously to add sexual orientation to the list of traits for which an athlete can not be discriminated against.
Recommendation 14 was to add sexual orientation to the 6th Fundamental Principle of Olympism, which currently reads:
“Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.”
The issue of LGB discrimination in the Olympics has been a hotly debated subject since the 2014 Sochi Olympics due to Russia’s many discriminatory laws.
1984: United States Men’s Gymnastic Team Wins Gold
I came across this short video that tells the tale of the US men’s Olympic gymnastic team winning the gold against the odds at the 1984 Summer Games.
I always frowned on the idea that an “asterisk” is usually associated with the win since the Soviet Union chose to boycott those games, seeming the take some luster from the win.
Our guys scores were amazing. Nothing could be taken away from the accomplishment.
Oh – and then there’s the fact that all our guys were very easy on the eyes.
Made for double the TV viewing enjoyment.
Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe comes out as gay
After years of personal struggles with depression and rumors about his sexuality that he called painful, Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe has come out in an in-depth interview with British interviewer Sir Michael Parkinson.
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
Thorpe made the admission in a tell-all interview with Sir Michael Parkinson, News Corp reports.
The interview, which will air on Sunday night on Channel Ten, has been described by Sir Michael as one he had wanted to do for a long time.
“Ian Thorpe has always been near the top of my list to interview. The reasons are obvious. Not many athletes can claim to be the best of all time. Ian can.”
Before he retired for the first time at the age of 24, Thorpe broke 22 world records and won five gold and three silver medals and one bronze medal at the Olympic Games.
In his 2012 autobiography, This is Me, Thorpe confronted the speculation head-on: ”For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight. I’m attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day … I know what it’s like to grow up and be told what your sexuality is, then realising that it’s not the full reality. I was accused of being gay before I knew who I was.”
The interview, described as very emotional, airs Sunday night at 6pm on Channel Ten.
