Canadian Winter Olympian John Fennell comes out as gay

Canadian Olympian John Fennell has come out as gay.

Fennell, who represented Canada in luge at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, spoke openly about his sexuality in an article in Canadian newspaper the Calgary Herald earlier this week (May 27). 

During the interview, the 19-year-old athlete explained that he feels relieved to now have his sexuality out in the open, saying:

“Being in the closet is suffocating. You have to play this game of, ‘who knows?’ You can’t let off any vibes or secrets. You have to act super macho. You have to be hyper aware of your mannerisms and to not let off any vibes that could get detected. It’s very exhausting.

“It’s something I was aware of, but something I didn’t act upon for a long time,” said Fennell discussing the realisation that he was gay. “It was something I tried to hide. I dated girls in high school. Being in an athletic culture, there’s a certain amount of bravado you have to uphold, so it’s something I really suppressed about myself.”

Fennell, who hails from the city of Calgary, went on to discuss the need for gay role models in sport.

“I’m an athlete. Realistically, I put on a spandex suit and slide down a mountain. I’m no message board for political movements. But we need to have leaders in our sport community,” he said. “If it takes a 19-year-old to step up and to that, I’m more than willing to use my voice or the platform that I’ve been given to give a figurehead to gay youth in sport.”

In a tweet yesterday (May 28), the athlete thanked fans for their support since he came out, posting:

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