Semenya to Keep Gold Metal, No Matter What!

Even if South African track star Caster Semenya does have both boy and girl parts, she's still a gold medal winner: The International Association of Athletics Federations ruled she can keep the gold medal she won in August in Berlin. But the bigger news? The results of the investigation into Semenya's gender (!) will be kept private. Read the rest at Queerty.

Who's That Queer

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Mark Leduc was a former boxer from Toronto, Canada, who won a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.


Mark Leduc was not a hero, at least not until 1992, when he won a silver medal for Canada at the Olympics in Barcelona. Before that singular accomplishment, he was only a tough kid. To his close friends, he was a hard man who happened to be gay. By the time he was 12 years old, Leduc was certain of only two things: his sexuality and his deep love of boxing. A friend invited him along to a gym in Toronto's east end, and it didn't take long before he was hooked. His parents separated when he was 15 and Leduc went to to live on the streets.

Leduc got into trouble for robbing a jewellery store at gunpoint. He had been told by an accomplice that it was an insurance scam: the owner wanted the place turned over and hired them to make it look real. Leduc grabbed the gold and gems, passed them over, pocketed a cash fee, and was picked up by the police a few weeks later. He was sentenced to over six years in prison.

After about 18 months inside, a guard took a shine to Leduc, and tried to secure him day passes so he could train in a real gym. The first application was rejected by the warden, but Leduc was ultimately awarded 72 hours a month in the outside world. He used his 'free' time sparingly: an hour to train here, a couple of hours to train there, a few more hours for a fight. He began to acquire a smart amateur record.

The 1984 Olympics came and went while Leduc languished in prison. He was released in time for the 1988 Summer Games trials, but failed to earn a spot on the team that was to go to South Korea. Leduc decided to stick with the sport for another four years. After winning both the national championship, and the gold medal at a preliminary international meet, Leduc was on his way to Barcelona, where he won silver.

Leduc turned pro in 1992 and had limited success. He retired in 1993.

Leduc came out as a gay man in 1994 in the TV documentary For the Love of the Game and attended Toronto’s Pride parade in 1999 as grand marshal (with Savoy Howe).

Leduc worked for and volunteered with the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation. His final occupation was that of set-builder and construction worker in the film industry.

Leduc died on July 22, 2009 in Toronto. He had collapsed in the sauna of a local hotel, and doctors suggested that his death may have resulted from heat stroke.

Source: Gay for Today

No Wheaties for Mitcham

via PinkNews

Matthew Mitcham, the Australian diver who won the ten-metre platform gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, has said he believes he lost sponsorship deals due to being openly gay.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he said: "I haven't experienced any homophobia in sport but I'm hoping I'm not experiencing any in the corporate world because I haven't had any companies rushing to sponsor me," he said.

Read the rest.

Come Learn About Chicago’s Bid to Host the 2016 Olympics

TONIGHT - CHICAGO

Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago and the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues invite members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities to a public meeting where information will be shared by representatives of Chicago 2016.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, at Circuit Nightclub, 3641 N. Halsted Street.

Representatives from Chicago 2016 will share information about Chicago’s bid, the status of the bid process, and plans to involve Chicago’s diverse communities as the process moves forward.

A question and answer period will follow the formal presentation.

Ab fab - Guess the swimmer who belongs to the 6-pack

yep, homoeroticism right on the NBC website

Beijing Distributes Condoms to Horny Athletes, Spectators

Beijing's Health Bureau has distributed about 400,000 no-cost condoms and 250,000 HIV/AIDS prevention pamphlets to 119 contract hotels of the Olympic Games and other hotels in the city, Xinhuanet reports. According to Jin Dapeng, the bureau's party chief, the condoms have been placed in more than 90,000 rooms in 424 hotels rated three stars or higher. He added that health authorities have trained thousands of Olympic volunteers to promote HIV/AIDS prevention during the Games and that Olympic organizers worked with UNAIDS and the International Olympic Committee to distribute HIV/AIDS information to participants.

In addition, about 100,000 condoms are available at the clinic in the Olympic village along with HIV/AIDS prevention information in English, French and Chinese. According to Jin, about 180 college students and 500 community volunteers are prepared to "publicize AIDS-related knowledge." He added that the Health Bureau has "opened 40 clinics in Beijing's 18 districts and counties to offer free HIV tests and AIDS counseling." The Olympic Games present the opportunity to promote HIV/AIDS prevention messages on a global scale because they bring a large influx of visitors from around the world to Beijing, Jin said (Xinhuanet, 8/15).

via the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS report.

US Olympic Committee Selects Chicago For 2016 Olympic Bid

Okay, so a little late posting on this "news", a cardinal NO NO in the blogosphere, and okay, it isn't exactly about gay men's health, really. But no matter, this SPEEDO AFFICIONADO and GYMNAST ENTHUSIAST and TRACK DEVOTEE is MOISTENING that Chicago could, maybe, just might host the Games in 2016.....
-Jim

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US Olympic Committee Selects Chicago For 2016 Olympic Bid
04.17.07

By Dylan Vox

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) announced Chicago as its Applicant City for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games today. The announcement was made following a vote by the USOC Board of Directors during its quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C.

Chicago will now be formally nominated by the USOC to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a candidate for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The international campaign will last two years, concluding in October 2009 at the IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark, when the 2016 Host City is selected.

Click here for the rest of the story.