THE RAINBOW ROAD
TO TOKYO

Listen to the stories of some of the LGBTQIA+ Olympian and Paralympian athletes taking part in the Tokyo 2021 Games...

At the next Olympic Games, there will be a record number of out-LGBT competitors - but barriers to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans participation in sport continues to be hard to shake off. Prejudice remains rife all over the world, including in the U.K.

In celebrating the achievements of those who have beaten the stigma to get to the greatest sporting show on earth, we're bringing you the stories from some of the Tokyo games' LGBTQIA+ athletes, in their own words.

These features are produced by MIM with support from The Audio Content Fund

LISTEN

Julian Vernonsky

Image Credit: UKRowing

Ria Percival

Image Credit: FIFA

Aoife Cooke

Image Credit: John Starrett

Hannah Wilkinson

Georgia Simmerling

Lauren Rowles

Image Credit: British Rowing

Jude Hamer

Image Credit: British Wheelchair Basketball

Celia Quansah

Natalie Powell

Sanne Van Dijke

Image Credit: Aniek Verschuur Fotografie - Zeth

Chelsea Wolfe

Kayla Miracle

Megan Jones

Robyn Love

Image Credit: Eurosport

Tom Bosworth

Markus Thormeyer

Image Credit: Scott Grant, Swimming Canada

Stephanie Labbé

Image Credit: Canada Soccer

Laurie Williams

Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 Hawkeye

Moran Samuel

Image Credit: Detlev Syeb, Daniel Rowing Centre