Ian Thorpe has spoken again about depression, coming out and the barriers LGBTQ+ athletes still face. The Australian swimming champion says many gay and queer sportspeople remain reluctant to speak openly, while his own experience shows how heavy secrecy can feel. His reflections matter beyond the pool, where questions of mental health, identity and belonging continue to shape sport.
Essential Takeaways
- Depression and elite sport: Thorpe says he experienced depression and has spoken publicly about it.
- Coming out on television: He came out during a 2014 interview with Michael Parkinson, after years of denying questions about his sexuality.
- Inclusion remains a challenge: Thorpe says many gay and queer athletes still don’t feel free to be open.
- His family’s response: He recalls fearing how they’d react; his father told him the family loved him.
- Life after competitive swimming: Thorpe says a shoulder prosthesis and medical advice mean he no longer swims, and he now visits pools mainly for broadcasting.
Thorpe says sport still has an openness problem
Many gay and queer athletes are still keeping quiet. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ian Thorpe said there are more of them than the public knows, but many don’t feel able to speak openly. It’s a sobering reminder that a sport can celebrate individual achievement while still leaving some people uncertain about whether they’ll be accepted.
The Australian champion has also called for sport to stand for fairness and inclusion across sexual identity, race and religion. His point is simple: sport reflects the wider society around it, so the work of making people feel welcome doesn’t stop at the poolside.
Coming out brought relief, but the fear was real
Thorpe came out publicly during a 2014 television interview with Michael Parkinson. He’d faced questions about his sexuality since he was 16 and spent years denying them, according to the BBC and The Guardian. By the time he spoke openly, he said the strain of hiding part of himself had become hard to bear.
He remembers being away from his family when he came out on television and worrying about their response. His father’s reassurance that the family loved him was what Thorpe wanted to hear. The Guardian reported that his family and friends embraced him, while noting that the news initially surprised his mother.
Why mental health needs room in elite sport
Thorpe says he experienced depression and believes that speaking publicly helped bring attention to a subject that was harder to discuss at the time. His experience wasn’t just about what happened outside the pool: he has also described the pressure of elite sport, where taking time away to care for mental health may not feel like an option.
That pressure can be difficult to square with the neat rhythms of an Olympic cycle. In his interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Thorpe discussed efforts in Australia to make coaching contracts more stable, so the system isn’t organised entirely around the Games. The ABC has also reported that his depression began in his teenage years, and that he spoke out partly after seeing other elite athletes struggle in silence.
Speaking openly can help someone else
Thorpe has said that being accepted wasn’t especially difficult for him, while recognising that other people may face much tougher circumstances. The ABC reports that he sees value in speaking openly because it can make it easier for someone else to come out. That distinction matters: one person’s supportive experience doesn’t mean the path is equally safe or straightforward for everyone.
His public announcement also drew support from people in sport, LGBTQ+ communities and the Australian public, according to The Guardian. There’s no single speech that can resolve every barrier, but visibility can give people a little more room to imagine a future where they don’t have to hide.
A different relationship with the pool
Thorpe no longer swims. He told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he has a shoulder prosthesis and was advised by his surgeon not to swim; he also mentioned a chlorine allergy linked to a problem with his nasal adenoids. These days, he mainly goes to pools for broadcasting work.
That shift doesn’t mean his connection to sport has ended. He continues to speak about inclusion and mental health, drawing on experiences that weren’t always easy to share. Sometimes the most useful contribution from a champion isn’t another medal, but a more honest conversation.
Thorpe’s story is a reminder that making sport fairer starts with giving people space to be themselves.
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