List of LGBTQ Olympians and Paralympians

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There have been 922 modern Olympians and Paralympians[a] (including Summer Olympic athletes and artists, Summer Paralympians, and Winter Olympians and Paralympians) who have identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, non-binary, and/or queer, or who have openly been in a same-sex relationship.

As of 2024, at least 51 nations, and the Refugee Olympic Team, have been represented by an LGBTQ+ person at the Olympics or Paralympics

The first Olympic or Paralympic Games in which an athlete now known to be LGBTQ competed was the 1900 Summer Olympics, also the first LGBTQ Para/O-lympic medalist and first contemporaneously out Para/O-lympian.[b][c] LGBTQ Para/O-lympians have contested events across over 60 sports, as well as several artistic events. The majority of LGBTQ Para/O-lympians are female. The Olympic or Paralympic sport with the most LGBTQ participants is football. The nation with the most out LGBTQ Olympians and Paralympians is the United States, including two who have also competed for other nations.[d][a]

The most decorated LGBTQ Olympian and/or Paralympian is British Paralympic equestrian Lee Pearson, with 17 medals including 14 golds;[e] the most decorated LGBTQ Olympian is Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst, with 13 medals including 6 golds;[f] the most decorated LGBTQ Summer Olympian is Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, with 9 medals including 5 golds.[c] LGBTQ Olympians who hold Olympic records include Wüst;[g] footballers Pia Sundhage and Vivianne Miedema;[h] rower Emma Twigg;[i] and triple jumper Yulimar Rojas, who also holds the world record.[j]

At least 422 LGBTQ Para/O-lympians are medalists (45.77% of LGBTQ Para/O-lympians), of whom 198 have at least one gold medal (21.48%).[k]

Overview

All based on the Lists of LGBTQ+ Olympians and Paralympians

More information Country, Number of Olympians ...
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More information Sport, Number of Olympians by gender ...
By sport
Sport Number of Olympians by gender[N 16]
Female Male Non-binary Total
Cisgender Transgender Cisgender Transgender
Alpine skiing &
Para-alpine skiing		 5 — 2 — — 7
Archery 3 — — — — 3
Athletics &
Para-athletics		 40 2[N 17] 16 2[N 18] 4[N 18] 64
Badminton 4 — — — — 4
Basketball &
Wheelchair basketball		 65 — — — 1[N 18] 66
Beach volleyball 8 — — — — 8
Biathlon &
Parabiathlon		 4 — 1 — — 5
Bobsleigh 2 — 1 — — 3
Boxing 13 — 2 1[N 18] — 16
Canoeing and Kayaking &
Paracanoe		 5 1[N 19] — — — 6
Climbing – – 1 — — 1
Cross-country skiing &
Para cross-country skiing		 6 — 1 — — 7
Curling &
Wheelchair curling		 1 — 1 — — 2
Cycling &
Paracycling		 26[N 20] 1[N 18] 1 — — 28
Diving — — 13 — — 13
Equestrian &
Para-equestrian		 1 — 23 — — 24
Fencing &
Wheelchair fencing		 6 — 1 — — 7
Figure skating 6 — 36 — 1[N 19] 43
Football 183 — 3 — 1[N 18] 187
Freestyle skiing 5 — 2 1[N 18] — 8
Goalball 2 — — — — 2
Golf 3 — — — — 3
Gymnastics 9 — 12 — — 21
Handball 19 — — — — 19
Hockey 32 — 2 — — 34
Ice hockey 71 — — — — 71
Judo &
Para Judo		 17 — 1 — — 18
Luge — — 1 — — 1
Powerlifting — — 1 — — 1
Rowing &
Pararowing		 28 — 4 — 1[N 18] 33
Rugby sevens 31 — — 1[N 18] 2[N 18] 34
Sailing 3 — — — — 3
Shooting 5 — — — — 5
Skateboarding 6 — — — 2[N 18] 8
Skeleton 4 — 2 — — 6
Ski jumping 1 — 1 — — 2
Snowboarding &
Para snowboard		 8 — — — — 8
Softball 11 — — — — 11
Speed skating 10 — 2 — — 12
Surfing 6 — — — — 6
Swimming 16 — 25 — 1[N 18] 42
Table tennis 1 — — 1[N 18] — 2
Taekwondo &
Parataekwondo		 2 — 1 — — 3
Tennis &
Wheelchair tennis		 22 — 3 — — 25
Triathlon &
Paratriathlon		 5 — 2 — — 7
Volleyball &
Sitting volleyball		 21 — 3 — — 24
Water polo 4 — 1 — — 5
Weightlifting 1 1[N 18] — — — 2
Wrestling 2 — — — — 2
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More information Art, Number of Olympians by gender ...
By art
Art Number of Olympians by gender[N 16]
Female Male Non-binary Total
Cisgender Transgender Cisgender Transgender
Epic Literature — — 1 — — 1
Dance[N 21] 1 — 1 — — 2
Drawings and water colours (Painting) — — 2 — — 2
Graphic arts — — 2 — — 2
Literature (Open) — — 3 — — 3
Lyric works (Literature) — — 2 — — 2
Painting 1 — 6 — — 7
Sculpting (Open) 2 — 2 — — 4
Statue sculpting 5 — 1 — — 6
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Notes
  1. [1]
    Alyson Annan has represented Australia, the Netherlands and China, and is counted for all.
  2. [2]
    Jolanta Ogar represented both Poland and Austria, and is counted for both.
  3. [3]
    Pia Sundhage has represented Sweden, the United States, and Brazil and is counted for all.
  4. [4]
    Yulenmis Aguilar represented both Cuba and Spain, and is counted for both.
  5. [5]
    Including Czechoslovakia
  6. [6]
    Natalia Zabiiako represented both Estonia and the independent athletes from Russia, and is counted for both.
  7. [7]
    Including Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, West Germany and East Germany
  8. [8]
    Hege Riise represented both Norway and Great Britain, and is counted for both.
  9. [9]
    Gus Kenworthy represented both Great Britain and the United States, and is counted for both.
  10. [10]
    Including Irish Free State
  11. [11]
    Including Kingdom of Italy and Fascist Italy
  12. [12]
    Including Russia and the Olympic Athletes from Russia
  13. [13]
    Including Union of South Africa
  14. [14]
    Including multi-year appearances of the same Olympian; including Paralympics.
  15. [15]
    Took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  16. [16]
    Including multi-disciplinary Olympians
  17. [17]
    One competed in a men's category, the other in a women's category.
  18. [18]
    Competed in a women's category
  19. [19]
    Competed in a men's category
  20. [20]
    Kate O'Brien has competed in both cycling and paracycling. She is only counted once.
  21. [21]
    Demonstration event

LGBTQ+ Summer Olympians

Main articles: List of LGBTQ Summer Olympians (1896–2000), List of LGBTQ Summer Olympians (2004–2020), and List of LGBTQ Summer Olympians (2024–present)
See also: Lists of LGBTQ women's footballers at the Olympic Games

A

B

C

D

E–F

G

H

I–J

K

L

M

N–O

P

Q–R

S

T

U–V

W

X–Z

LGBTQ+ Winter Olympians

Main article: List of LGBTQ Winter Olympians

A–C

D–J

K–M

N–R

S–Z

LGBTQ+ Paralympians

Main article: List of LGBTQ Paralympians

LGBTQ+ artists

Main article: List of LGBTQ artists at the Olympic Games

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Based on the information presented on this page
  2. [b]
    Equestrian Robert de Montesquiou.
  3. [c]
    See List of LGBTQ Summer Olympians (1896–2000)
  4. [d]
    Football player and coach Pia Sundhage and skier Gus Kenworthy.
  5. [e]
    Australian Paralympic swimmer Ellie Cole also has 17 medals, six of which are golds. See List of LGBTQ Paralympians
  6. [f]
    See List of LGBTQ Winter Olympians
  7. [g]
    See List of Olympic records in speed skating
  8. [h]
    Pia Sundhage holds all coaching records. Vivianne Miedema has scored the most goals of an individual player in a single Olympic Games and in a single Olympic match. See List of women's Olympic football tournament records and statistics.
  9. [i]
    See List of Olympic best times in rowing
  10. [j]
    See List of Olympic records in athletics and Triple jump world record progression.
  11. [k]
    Harald Kreutzberg and Mary Wigman received medals in the competition part of the 1936 dance event.[1] As a demonstration event, these medals are not counted.
  12. [l]
    Chand is included both as an LGBTQ+ athlete and an intersex athlete.
  13. [m]
    Kate O'Brien is included both as a Summer Olympian and a Paralympian.
  14. [n]
    Semenya is included both as an LGBTQ+ athlete and an intersex athlete.
  15. [o]
    Witty is included both as a Summer Olympian and a Winter Olympian.

References

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