More on men's synchronized swimming

In Grantland, Michael Bertin looks at the issue of men's synchronized swimming, including the FGG/London/Paris letter to IOC and FINA:

It was a joke: Martin Short and Harry Shearer were two male synchronized swimmers who had given up everything in their quest for Olympic gold.

It was made all the more ridiculous by the fact that (a) Martin Short couldn't swim and (b) there was no men's event even in the Olympics. And the premise for this Saturday Night Live sketch was so well executed that, almost 30 years later, few people have even bothered to revisit the subject.

But 30 years later men's synchronized swimming is also no longer a joke, which is to say there are men who do it, and they take it seriously. Honest. And, in a bizarre instance of art imitating future life, they want to go to the Olympics.

In June of this year, Paris Aquatique, the London-based club Out to Swim, and the Federation of Gay Games sent a jointly signed letter to ICO President Jacques Rogge and FINA President Julio Maglione appealing for inclusion of men in synchronized swimming at the Olympics. And they are completely not kidding.

From the letter: "[It's] a sport with a long history of men's participation, and which is growing in number and quality of participants. Despite the goals announced by British Olympic authorities to make the 2012 Summer Olympics a place for true equality, men will remain excluded from this discipline in London."

"Growing" is a relative term, and, admittedly, the talent pool isn't that deep. Stephen Adshead, who manages the men's synchro team at OTS, says there are "about 20" men in the U.K. practicing at the club, with "more in France." Moreover, it might seem a little disingenuous for OTS to argue on history, as the club has only been doing synchro since 2010, but when it comes to competing they aren't kidding around. They've got a former Soviet-bloc synchronized swimmer for their coach and have picked up gold medals at the last two EuroGames as well as gold at the last Gay Games.

And the sport's male reach is reasonably international, with competing teams in Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Sweden. There is actually a pretty great documentary called Men Who Swim about that very cadre of men in Stockholm who have taken up synchro (highlighted by a scene in which their female coach calls them "pussies" for opting to perform in wetsuits).

Read more about male synchronized swimming on Grantland

FGG/London Angels/Paris Aquatique appeal on ABC News

From ABC News: At the Queen Mother Sports Centre in the heart of London, a group of medal-winning athletes is training for one of the most demanding Olympic competitions-- synchronized swimming. Their sport requires precision, teamwork and stamina.

But no matter how hard they train, no matter how good they are, this team isn't welcome at the 2012 Summer Games, for one simple reason: They're men.

Synchronized swimming was first demonstrated at the Olympics in 1952, and didn't become an official sport until 1984, but then it was only opened to female teams. The Out To Swim Angels are Britain's only male synchronized swimming team. Last month they [with FGG and Paris Aquatique] wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee and FINA, swimming's governing body, arguing that men deserve to compete in synchronized swimming as well. "There's still this same of sort old mindset. Oh well it's pretty, it's for girls," said team member Ronan Daly. "But no, we want to challenge that and say boys can do this as well." Keep reading HERE.

Paris Aquatique featured in Sensitif

Photos from the Aquafolies, a fun pool event in which FSGL and IGLA member club Paris Aquatique takes on teams from other FSGL clubs in synchro swimming and other activities, are featured in the latest issue of gay magazine Sensitif, along with a report on the performance of Paris Aquatique swimmings in the French national masters championships, from which the club brought back 15 medals.

Find the stories HERE.

Reactions to the exclusion of men from international synchronized swimming

The issue of the ban on men in international synchronized swimming competitions has generated some reactions:

Shamey Cramer, who is a delegate from the FGG at the IOC Women and Sport conference currently underway in Los Angeles, writes:

It was noted at the Women and Sport conference tonight that Synchro Swimming will be the ONLY sport that does not have gender equity at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Very sad statement, indeed -- even women Olympians and administrators are confounded by FINA's old-world stubbornness.

We published the following on Le Nouvel Observateur' article:

The paradox is that LGBT sport is often accused of creating "ghettos". But with a few regrettable exceptions (in particular in the USA, in men's softball and men's flag football), the fundamental principle of LGBT sport is openness, in the spirit of the Olympic charter's commitment to "sport for all".

With Synchronized Swimming, we see a strong example of this principle. A man who wants to practice this sport internationally can only do so in LGBT competitions such as the Gay Games or IGLA international championships.

Events like the Gay Games are a laboratory for innovation and openness in sport, one that goes beyond the issue of men's participation in synchronized swimming. They included women's wrestling years before the sport joined the Olympics, and include same-sex pairs in sports like dancesport, figure skating and bodybuilding, where mainstream sport continues to reject them.

A message to the Olympic movement, including FINA: to respect the universality of your Charter, stop sex discrimination, react to the exclusion of women from sport in the name of "tradition", maintain the protection of women's participation from religious pressure.


Le paradoxe c'est que le sport LGBT est souvent accusé de créer des "ghettos". Or, avec quelques regrettables exceptions (notamment aux Etats Unis lors des championnats de softball gay et de football américain), le principe de base du sport LGBT est l'ouverture, selon le principe olympique du "sport pour tous".

Avec la natation synchronisée nous voyons une manifestation forte de ce principe : un homme qui veut pratiquer ce sport au niveau international ne peut le faire que dans des compétitions LGBT, comme les Gay Games ou les championnats de la fédération affinitaire IGLA.

Des évènements comme les Gay Games sont un laboratoire pour l'innovation et l'ouverture dans le sport qui dépasse la participation masculine à la natation synchronisée. On y a trouvé la lutte féminine de nombreuses années avant qu'elle n'entre aux JO, on y trouve des couples du même sexe dans des sports comme la danse sportive, le patinage artistique, et le culturisme, des sports où cette formule reste interdite dans des compétitions "normales".

Un message du sport LGBT au grand mouvement olympique, dont fait partie FINA : pour respecter le message d'universalité de votre charte, arrêter la discrimination du genre, réagir à l'exclusion des femmes au nom de la tradition, maintenir la protection de la participation féminine de pressions religieuses.

Happy Birthday to Paris Aquatique!

Paris Aquatique, member of FGG member organizations IGLA and FSGL, celebrated its 20th anniversary last night with a fabulous party called "Pop Immersion". Our congratulations to Paris Aquatique on this occasion, and our best wishes for many more years of sports, fun, and activisim!

Video: Paris Aquatique at Gay Games VIII Pink Flamingo