Olympic gold medal winner Greg Louganis – widely considered the greatest diver of all time – reflects on overcoming the HIV-positive stigma and other adversities during his storied career, and gives a preview of a compelling new documentary on his life, Back on Board.
Greg says although he was surprised and disappointed when he wasn’t chosen for the official U.S. delegation to attend the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, he did get to visit the country as honorary host of the LGBT Russian Open Games. “I was able to have that experience,” he explains. But he also revealed that Open Games in Moscow did not proceed without incident, as was the case in Sochi, which he describes as clearly “propaganda for Russian Putin.”
He said after the Olympics and after his trip to Moscow, he met with a gay friend who was in Sochi, and said he felt safe there, went to a gay bars, entertainment, etc. “That was propaganda for Putin.”
Greg said a whole different “underground” experience was necessary in Moscow, where members of the LGBT delegation to the Open Games were refused rooms at the hotels that had been booked, and a bomb threat prevented the opening ceremonies.
“Every single event was tampered with – the only event that wasn’t tampered with was I did make the announcement that I was going to table tennis and participate… and they didn’t mess with that one,” he said.
Watch the full episode to also hear Greg open up about the everlasting image of him hitting his head on the springboard during a dive at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, and his decision to come out as a gay athlete.
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