This year’s 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes, couples, and champions
2SLGBTQIA+ athletes at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games display a turning point for representation on the sporting world’s biggest stage. A record number of 49 ‘out’ athletes is the most ever in a Winter Olympics. This is not only an important moment in history for diversity in the Olympics, but it will also play a role in helping future 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes embrace their identity as they work to become Olympians. Shown by the games’ motto, “IT’s your vibe,” Milano-Cortina sought to create an Olympics where athletes, staff, and fans can thrive as their authentic selves.
These 49 athletes make up 1.7 per cent of all 2,900 Olympians this year and represent a growing trend of 2SLGBTQIA+ participants at the Winter Olympics. For example, 0.3 per cent of all athletes in Sochi 2014 were openly 2SLGBTQIA+, followed by 0.5 per cent in 2018, and 1.2 per cent in 2022. The Paris 2024 Olympics continues to hold the record for the most openly 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes with 199.
U.S. figure skater and gold medallist, Amber Glenn, has been a champion for 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes throughout the 2026 Olympics. As the United States’ first openly 2SLGBTQIA+ Olympic figure skater, Glenn is a trailblazer for the sport. “I’m going to be at the top anyway, so I might as well do it as myself. And in doing so, I ended up making it to the top.” Glenn credits U.S. ice dancer, Karina Manta, who came out as bisexual in 2019, as an inspiration for her own coming out.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day at the Olympics was no trouble for five 2SLGBTQIA+ couples. Marie-Phillip Poulin, the captain of Canada’s women’s hockey team competed with her wife and teammate, Laura Stacey throughout the games. While they were not close prior to meeting at a team swimming event in 2017, Stacey described meeting Poulin as “the wish I had always dreamed of” in an interview with CBC. After marrying in 2024, Poulin said “this is probably the most myself I’ve ever been.” Poulin and Stacey currently play together in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) with the Montreal Victoire and have medalled in three Olympics and seven world championships, most recently winning silver in Milano-Cortina.
Bruce Mouat, the men’s curling skip for Team Great Britain, detailed his coming out story. “I wasn’t really enjoying my curling, but I really think that [coming out] helped me to feel comfortable within the team environment,” said Mouat during an interview with BBC. His team entered the men’s final as the top ranked curling team worldwide and will now come home with a silver medal after a hard fought match against Canada. Mouat recognizes he does not take being a role model lightly. “I’ve had so many messages [from] people that have maybe struggled with participation in sport that they are now feeling encouraged because they’ve seen what I’ve been able to do on the elite side of the sport.”
Improved 2SLGBTQIA+ representation goes hand-in-hand with gender parity, something that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has strived to achieve over the past several years. The summer Paris 2024 games set a record for most balanced Olympic Games where women made 50 per cent of all athletes while over half of all medal events in Paris were open to female athletes. This year, Milano-Cortina hosted the most equal Winter Olympics in history with women composing 47 per cent of athletes. Four new Winter events such as large hill ski jumping were also open to female competitors. Furthermore, the women’s 50km cross-country event made history by allowing a female event for the first time. Olympic champion Jessie Diggins was “really excited” about having equal distance saying, “when I got to the World Cup and was like, ‘Wait a minute, the men get to do 50 and the women are capped at 30. Why?’ And I didn’t understand why. Why do we not get to do these big, epic races that are pretty iconic and pretty legendary in our sport?’”
2SLGBTQIA+ athletes at the 2026 Olympics have made a profound impact on the games. High representation across several sports has allowed for a successful medalling result too. In total, 2SLGBTQIA+ Olympians will take home 11 medals across six events. From Canada’s Paul Poirier to Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund, 2SLGBTQIA+ Olympians have brought the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to the forefront of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. As 2SLGBTQIA+ acceptance becomes normalized in sports, athletes and fans will look forward to more records being broken when the Winter Olympics return to the French Alps in 2030.