By Dirk Smith, MSc, SDL (He/Him).
This has been a common question for many years now, people questioning “why” are LGBTQI sports events still a thing in a so-called “post equality” society. I have been a staunch defender of the relevance of LGBTQI sports events such as Gay Games, Sin City Classic and other events on a local, national and international level because I truly believe they are relevant. Even despite the disasters of recent LGBTQI sports events including the 2015 and 2019 Eurogames as well as the 2017 Outgames (as well as the Outgames brand as a whole). However, I am starting to question this resolve myself. Why do we need LGBTQI sports events? I ask this because the LGBTQI is now facing an existential crisis that has been a long time coming, but only now exasperated by Covid-19. In the last 5 years, 3 of the biggest LGBTQI sports events have been unmitigated disasters. Plagued by overconfidence, incompetence and straight up crookery, these events and the people behind them have damaged this community in ways that have left athletes broke and running away from it forever. Sure, with large events you can’t expect everything to go perfect and everybody has bad days. But when you start to see patterns of bad behavior emerge without any real resolve, you start to question the validity, relevance and future of the movement. Most importantly, as an athlete who would be paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars for event registration, travel and lodging expenses, you ask “is this event worth investing in?”
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By Dirk Smith, MSc, SDL (He/Him).
The 2020 Olympic Games are set to be the most equal Olympics yet, and by that, I mean that there will be more gender equality in terms of events offered at the Olympic Games than ever before. Throughout the history of the modern Olympic Games, gender equality has always been an issue, but it’s not an issue that is solely attributed to the Olympic Games or the International Olympic Committee themselves. It’s more toward the wider societal perceptions of sport in reflection of gender roles overall. This can be seen all throughout the history of the games. For example, despite the first games taking place in 1896. The first females to participate at the Olympic Games was in 1900 where 22 women took part in Tennis, Golf, Sailing and Croquet, sports which were considered more “feminine” at the time. 
By Dirk Smith, MSc, SDL (He/Him).
There has been increased discussion lately regarding the eligibility of transgender athletes and their participation in sporting competitions. Many proponents on both sides have been in heated discussions including several prominent athletes speaking out as well as various national and international sports organizations adopting trans-inclusive or transphobic policies |
Dirk SmithDavid "Dirk" Smith M.Sc, SDL, CSCS, (He/Him) is a sport psychology expert, strength & conditioning coach, swimming coach, sports diversity leader, published research scientist, teacher, writer, journalist, and athlete. He brings over 12 years of experience, education, and training to empower athletes to build self efficacy, strength, confidence, and express themselves through sport. Archives
August 2022
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