Diving tears and diving smiles

We're more than a little sad that our friend Gay Games Ambassador Matthew Mitcham won't be taking home another Olympic medal. He did great work and gave it his all, living up to ouIr motto of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best, and to the motto "Once an Olympian, always an Olympian".

We know Matthew will continue to do great things and be a force for joy and progress in the world, and we are proud to have him by our side as we work toward equality in and through sport.

We take some consolation that the Chinese sweep was prevented by bronze medal winner Tom Daley and by gold medal winner David Boudia. We are pleased that the work of Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis has a claim to some of that success, having served as mentor to the US diving team in London.

Huffington Post profile of Greg Louganis

A great profile of Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis in the UK version of Huffington Post:

They say you should never meet your hero. He'll always let you down. Well, I have, and he didn't.

The 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul was memorable for two things - Ben Johnson's red-eyed corruption of the 100-metre sprint, and double Olympic gold medallist diving champion Greg Louganis hitting his head on the board.

"My first feeling was one of embarrassment" - says Greg Louganis of his 1988 encounter with the board

Louganis was the golden boy of the diving pool, with two golds to his name from the previous Games in LA. He was expected to become the first man in history to defend both his springboard and platform titles.

So how did it feel when it all went so wrong during the springboard preliminaries, and he went splat in front of all those people?

"My first feeling was one of intense embarrassment," he remembers, 24 years later. Then that trickled into anxiety. But I have to admit, there was also a feeling of relief, because I was under so much pressure to do well, and suddenly everyone stopped expecting anything. It freed me up."

Keep reading about Greg Louganis

Greg Louganis documentary in the works, with filming at the Olympics

Now on Kickstarter, "Back on Board", a documentary in progress on Greg Louganis:

When Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board at the 1988 Seoul Games, it was an unforgettable moment of the Olympics. But when, despite his injury, he earned the highest single score for his next dive and went on to win the Gold medal, it was among the most incredible feats in sports history.

Olympic Champion Greg Louganis is considered by many to be the greatest diver of all time. We are making a feature-length independent documentary about Louganis to highlight his heroic personal story. We're here on Kickstarter because we need your help to finish shooting our film! Our goal is to get our film finished and released by 2013 -- the 25th anniversary of Greg's incredible performance in the 1988 Olympic Games.

We will be shooting with Greg in London in August during the Olympic Games and for a few more months this fall. We need to raise $50,000 to finish shooting. We ultimately need to raise over $300,000 to finish the film, but raising $50,000 now will allow us to keep going towards the finish line! You can be a part of this exciting project by pledging whatever you can afford.

Learn more HERE.

Greg Louganis video message to participants at Nike LGBT Sports Summit

Four-time Olympic gold medal diver Greg Louganis talks to the Nike LGBT Sports Summit about his coming out and his hopes for the movement going forward.

Greg Louganis mentoring Olympic diving hopefuls

Gay Star News interviews Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis on his work with US Olympic divers:

American divers have failed to win any Olympic medals in the last two Summer Games and won just one in 2000.

So who better to motivate them than the man who has won more diving medals in US history: Greg Louganis.

Louganis, winner of two golds as the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, two gold at the 1988 Games in Seoul, and a silver at the 1976 Games in Montreal when he was still in high school, was brought in by US Diving in 2010 as an athlete mentor to the Olympic hopefuls.

He will be at the 2012 Games in London hoping to see some of the younger Americans make it to the winner's podium.

'I'm just hoping it's not too little too late because two years is not much time to prepare because preparation for an Olympic Games, it's really a lifetime endeavor,' he admits. 'You really are committed and it's an entire process.'

While his presence is welcomed by the athletes, Louganis says he has not felt the same embrace from all of the coaches.

'It's been a little challenging with the coaches,' he says. 'The divers have been very accepting. The coaches feel threatened in some way. I don't know why. But I'm not coaching, I'm not a coach. I'm a mentor.'

Keep reading HERE.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis on how bullying made him stronger, once he no longer let himself be a victim

Greg Louganis shares his journey to triumph in the Huffington Post:

I almost want to thank all the bullies in my life: the ones who called me "n*gger," "retard," "sissy boy," and "f*ggot"; those who threatened to throw punches at me and took my lunch money at the bus stop; those who actually threw punches at me and rubbed my face in asphalt; my dad, who whipped me with his belt until I did a dive I was too scared to do in my regular practice; the coaches who belittled me and intimidated me into pushing myself beyond what I thought I was capable of; and the man who raped me at knifepoint, whom I then stayed with for another six years. They all helped shape me, and without those experiences I could not be the person I am today. I had to learn to "forgive" myself and then find it in my heart to "forgive" them and even bless the light in them, no matter how dim that light was. But thanking them would be going too far, and it would be inaccurate. In the end it was my inner sense of self, my willpower and determination, that got me through and helped me take those experiences and literally turn them into gold.

In 1988, at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, on my ninth dive in the men's 3-meter springboard preliminaries, I struck my head on the board. Going into that Olympic event I was the favorite to win a gold medal, but in that split-second I became the "underdog." I was scared, having been diagnosed as HIV-positive six months prior, and aware that I was in a country that would have deported me if my status were known. It was what followed that made me realize the strength and power I had within me. I was taken to a room off the pool deck, where my head was sewn up. It wasn't bad, just four or five stitches. When my coach, Ron O'Brien, asked if I wanted to continue, I responded, without thinking, "We worked too long and hard to get there, and I don't want to give up without a fight."

Keep reading HERE.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis to guest star on Old Dogs web series

We have already written about the web series Old Dogs and New Tricks, which stars Gay Games medal winner Jeffrey Olson. We now learn that the coming third season will feature Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis in three episodes.

Will Greg's work as a dog trainer be part of the story? Find out inl early 2013.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis to induct Gay Games pioneer in sports hall of fame

Among the handful of inductees for the 6th class for the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California is Gay Games pioneer, Judy Macks, a reported by Jweekly.com:

Macks, who passed away in 2010, was an accomplished competitor in the first few Gay Games, which started in San Francisco in 1982. She won three swimming medals in the third games, including a gold in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke. Macks also was a social worker and an early pioneer in working with HIV/AIDS patients.

[...]

All of the inductees and award winners will get a place on the hall of fame’s “wall of fame” located on the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life in Palo Alto.

---

PLEASE JOIN US TO INDUCT

HERB BROWN, LARRY BROWN, AL BUCH,
LELAND FAUST, JUDY MACKS, BARRY TOMPKINS, KEENA TURNER

PRESENTERS (partial list)
Dan Belluomini, Harry Edwards, Ph.D., Darrall Imhoff, Mark Jackson,
Greg Louganis, Ron Magers, Stan Morrison, Stephen Clark, Joan Ryan

JEWISH SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION GALA DINNER
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO
MAY 20, 2012

Celebrity Reception and Silent Auction 5:00 pm

Dinner and Awards 6:00 pm

Reservations and donations HERE.

We are delighted to learn that Judy Macks' award will be introduced by Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Where does Greg Louganis rank on list of best US divers ever?

From BleacherReport.com:

There are few things in sports more astounding to witness than an Olympic diver in mid-leap. The sheer athleticism and speed with which they travel and maneuver is amazing.

For the male U.S. Olympic diving team, there has not been much to celebrate of late. Gone are the glory days of Greg Louganis and Sammy Lee. The U.S. team has not reached the podium since Mark Lenzi's bronze medal in 1996.

However, the team has a bunch of fresh-faced youngsters who are eager to return the respect to American diving. Though they may not like their standing on this list now, they have a chance to win some medals this summer and improve their place in the history books. Where they are come September, we can't know. So for now, find out where the young guns rank among the top 10 male divers in U.S. Olympic history.
Click HERE.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis on radio to talk about living with HIV and his life today

Olympic legend Greg Louganis called in to the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano on Portland, Oregon's 750 The Game to talk about his life, career and the Olympics. Greg and John talk about Greg's first experience as an Olympian at the 1976 Montreal games. The main goal of an athlete at the Olympic games is to capture gold, something Greg accomplished on four occasions. Greg was decorated with gold twice in Los Angeles and twice in Seoul mastering both the 3m springboard and 10m platform events. Greg found Olympic success at the age of 16 as he captured a silver medal in the 10m platform at the Montreal games. Greg and John discuss HIV and how Greg has led a successful life in and out of the pool with the virus. Greg talks about his love and passion for dogs as well as competing in dog agility competitions.

How did Greg name is dogs? What movies are Greg a big fan of? Listen to this entertaining and riviting exclusive interview with Olympic legend Greg Louganis found only at 750 The Game.


Listen online HERE.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

As we approach London 2012, more opportunities to hear from Greg Louganis

The Federation of Gay Games is pleased an honored to have among our Ambassadors one of the greatest athletes in history, Greg Louganis, widely recognized as the greatest diver ever.

His sport receives more attention in an Olympic year than it does in the non-Olympic years combined, and we are delighted to see and hear Greg Louganis called on by the media to share his insights on this great sport.

When Greg speaks, it's also an opportunity to learn of the challenges of living with HIV, and of the progress made since he was forced to hide his status to compete in the Seoul Olympics. The restrictions he faced there were not the exception: the US only withdrew its HIV ban under the current Obama administration, and athletes, staff, and fans who need to travel to Qatar to the 2022 World Cup still risk exclusion.

As we work to pull down these barriers to participation and inclusion, let's enjoy this opportunity to see more of Greg Louganis, an outstanding athlete and human being, and thank him again for his service as a Gay Games Ambassador.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Let's get Greg Louganis on Dancing With the Stars!

"Dancing With the Stars" is a reality TV contest on American TV, based on the BBC format for "Strictly Come Dancing". Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis has in the past expressed a desire to be a contestant on the show, and now some fans have created a Facebook page to promote his selection for the next season.

From LGBTQ Nation:

“I really want to do this for GLBT youth,” Louganis told me this morning. “Being on Dancing With The Stars is more than me being on the show, it sends a positive message — an ‘It Gets Better’ message. And that message is still important- kids are still losing hope. I want to do what I can for them.”

There have been gay men on DWTS before — Lance Bass, Carson Cressley and Louis Amstel — and Chaz Bono broke the transgender barrier last season. But if his bid is successful, Louganis would be the first openly HIV positive contestant. And it’s about time, say HIV activists.

You can show your support by liking the page which you can find HERE. (This is the only official page!)

Greg Louganis interview on US diving Olympic outlook

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis part of "100 Days to London" event at Times Square

Former U.S. Olympic greats Carl Lewis, Shannon Miller and Greg Louganis meet up with London hopeful Allyson Felix (second from right) in Times Square.

Louganis rings the closing bell at NASDAQ.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis interview on his career, his support for the Gay Games, and what's coming up next

Here are a few extracts from a great interview by Laurence Watts in PinkNews:

He won his first Olympic medal at the age of 16. Eight years later he became the first man in 56 years to win two diving golds at the same Olympics. Four years after that, in Seoul, he added two more gold medals to his haul, despite famously hitting his head on the springboard during qualifying. He came out at the 1994 Gay Games. Laurence Watts meets Greg Louganis.

[...]

“For a while, between eight and twelve-years old, I did all three: diving, acrobatics and gymnastics. But back then gymnastics wasn’t done on sprung floors and the dancing took place on concrete. By the time I was twelve my doctor said I had to give up acrobatics and gymnastics because I had bad knees. From then on I concentrated on diving, still with a desire to one day make the Olympics. After a year, I was world champion for my age group. By the time I was sixteen I’d made the US Olympic team.”

It was at his first Olympics, at the age of sixteen, that Greg won a silver medal in the 10m-platform event. For many athletes an Olympic silver medal is the crowning achievement of their career. Not so for Louganis. His Olympic career was however substantially hindered four years later, when President Carter decided America would boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics, in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

[...]

It was while appearing in New York in the play ‘Jeffrey’ that Louganis was approached by Kile Ozier to record a message for the opening ceremony of 1994’s Gay Games. Louganis, who had long been out to his friends and family, decided it was time to make a public announcement and agreed.

“I’d never been open about my sexuality with the media before,” he tells me. “If I’d discussed my sexuality while diving I would have been known as ‘the gay diver’. The US media would have jumped on it. They love labels. I always wanted the focus to be on my diving, which is why I kept my sexuality to myself.”

Regardless, I put it to Greg that he would still have won the medals he did whether he’d been out or not.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I had a tough time making the teams. Although I usually won the titles, there were a lot of National Championships where I came in second. Diving is definitely one of the more objective sports because in competition they always knock off the highest and lowest scores, but homophobia ran pretty deep in the sport at the time.”

Louganis had another secret he wanted to be free of as well: six months before the 1988 Olympics he’d tested positive for HIV. He’d kept the diagnosis secret for a simple reason: the Korean authorities wouldn’t have let him in for the Olympics had they known his status. Greg knew this very well. He had wanted to share his Olympic experience with his friend, Ryan White, but White was denied a Korean visa on the grounds that he was HIV positive.

[...]

These days however, Greg’s name is being mentioned in the same breath as that of a much younger diver. In May 2008, shortly before the Beijing Olympics, Matthew Mitcham announced he was gay in an interview with Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald. When did Greg first hear about Matthew?

“The first I heard was friends asking me if I’d seen the story,” he answers. “By the time he reached Beijing he was constantly being asked about me and vice versa. It was easy for me: I was at home so I could just not answer the phone. He was at the Olympics. There was no avoiding it. I understand why people make the comparison, but it’s really not fair on either of us. He’s his own person and that’s something I really tried to convey to him when I met him recently. He’s doing great. He’s just got to believe in himself and not worry about the other stuff.”

Like me, Greg watched on television as Matthew won Olympic gold in Beijing’s 10m-platform event. I ask him if his own wins flashed back at that moment?

“It wasn’t a flashback,” he tells me. “I just knew what he was going through. It was unfortunate that NBC’s commentary here in America was so distracting. Matthew was the only openly gay athlete competing in Beijing, but NBC ignored the wider story and referred to Matthew’s partner as his ‘friend.’ I have to admit my appreciation of the moment was overshadowed by my annoyance with what appeared to be censorship by NBC.”

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Greg Louganis defends the Olympics on "Portlandia"

A few weeks ago we asked:

Just who are we seeing from the back here in this episode of IFC television series Portlandia entitled "No Olympics"?

Yes! It's Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis, who lets the anti-Olympics campaigners know how great the Olympics are, how they're the alternative to competitive sport (we think he was talking about LGBT sport there), and how athletes trade cool lapel pins.

Also in this episode, a demonstration of solo syncrhonized canoeing, a sport not yet on the program of either the Olympics or the Gay Games.* 


Info HERE.

*Apparently it's freestyle canoeing... and it's real!

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Olympic diving hopeful says "It Got Better" for his dads

Jordan Windle is a young diver who made this "It Gets Better" message.

Jordan is a junior national platform diving champion and hopes to be part of Team USA at the 2012 Olympics.

Jordan's story as an adoptee is told in the book An Orphan No More, with a foreword by Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis.

View it below, and visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

---

---

No Olympics in Portland?

Just who are we seeing from the back here in this still from an upcoming episode of IFC television series Portlandia?

Hint: The episode's title is "No Olympics", and it's coming up in a couple of weeks.

Info HERE.

Listen to Jack Mackenroth "Poz I Am" interview with Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis

From the radio program Poz I Am on BlogTalkRadio:

This Sunday February 5th at 9pm EST our friend Jack Mackenroth spoke with Olympic Gold Medalist and Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis. Openly gay and HIV-positive Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis wants to show off his moves on ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ next season. Louganis fans have created a Facebook campaign to ABC to extend an invitation to Louganis, and the campaign is getting some attention.

---

Listen to internet radio with POZIAM RADIO on Blog Talk Radio

---

Greg is a five time World Champion and holds 47 National Championship titles. At the Pan Am Games, he earned six Gold Medals, and in 1985, he was awarded the Sullivan Award as the “Nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete.”However, what most people remember about Greg is that he went on to win Olympic Gold at the 1988 Games despite striking the back of his head on the springboard during the preliminaries. He attempted a reverse 2½ somersault pike in the ninth round of the prelims, and he hit his head on the board and fell into the water. Thirty-five minutes later, after receiving stitches to his scalp wound, he resumed diving. The following day, he hit all 11 dives and easily won the Olympic Gold Medal. After he tested positive for HIV in 1988,he recounted his story in a best-selling book Breaking the Surface. The book spent five weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. His story was also documented in the 1996 Showtime movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story with Mario Lopez playing the lead and Louganis narrating.

Greg has worn many hats, Actor, Dancer, Olympian, Diver, Dog Trainer, Speaker, AIDS Activist, Equality and Diversity Activist, and yes he would love to be on Dancing With The Stars in honor of his Mom’s memory, Frances Louganis, “My Mom would have loved to see me on that show” says Greg.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Help get Greg Louganis on "Dancing With the Stars"

"Dancing With the Stars" is a reality TV contest on American TV, based on the BBC format for "Strictly Come Dancing". Gay Games Ambassador has in the past expressed a desire to be a contestant on the show, and now some fans have created a Facebook page to promote his selection for the next season.

From LGBTQ Nation:

“I really want to do this for GLBT youth,” Louganis told me this morning. “Being on Dancing With The Stars is more than me being on the show, it sends a positive message — an ‘It Gets Better’ message. And that message is still important- kids are still losing hope. I want to do what I can for them.”

There have been gay men on DWTS before — Lance Bass, Carson Cressley and Louis Amstel — and Chaz Bono broke the transgender barrier last season. But if his bid is successful, Louganis would be the first openly HIV positive contestant. And it’s about time, say HIV activists.

You can show your support by liking the page which you can find HERE.

---

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr: