Created for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Pride House has expanded worldwide
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Pride House International (PHI) are partnering up for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. For the first time, Canada House will be home to Pride House.
Inside the house is a welcome message on the wall in English, French, and Korean. The message welcomes everyone regardless of one’s characteristics. The message roughly translates to: “This is your house no matter who you are or where you come from.”PHI states that the first Pride House was at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, BC. Many international sporting events have since had a Pride House, including the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, the FIFA world cup, the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, and the Commonwealth Games.
The Pride House has come full circle, from originating in Canada to now being hosted by the COC. It is not a surprise that the Pride House is being hosted by the COC, as Canada and PHI have shared values of inclusion, diversity, and respect. Additionally, Canada is a leader in advancing gay rights. In 2005, Canada became the third country to legalize gay marriage.
The COC has stated that they take on LGBTQ+ issues in sports because they believe “in equality for all, and that athletes should be judged by their performance on the field of play and their character as people, not for who they love or how they identify.” Using this platform, the COC is able to make a larger impact on the community. The COC notes in a press release that “by creating change in sport, we can create change across all segments of society.”This marks the first time a Pride House is directly affiliated with and hosted by a national Olympic Committee. This is an important step towards inclusion in sport.
Outsports notes that there are 14 publicly out LGBTQ+ athletes competing this year, including Canadian pairs figure skater Eric Radford. This is a jump from the 2014 Winter Olympics, which had seven publicly out LGBTQ+ athletes competing, but is nowhere near the 56 LGBTQ+ Olympians who competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The COC also has a One Team campaign that runs in schools and sports throughout the country, with its aim being to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and respect.
Photo courtesy of Flickr via CC0