Nikki Symmons, former hockey and cricket international and Ireland’s most-capped team player in history and Donal Óg Cusack, three-time All Ireland Hurling winner and the first elite Irish sportsman to come out as gay will join Anna Nolan next Thursday for a very special Pride event as part of GCN’s In and Out festival.
This special event is the brainchild of the wonderful Sporting Pride. Founded in 2018, Sporting Pride is Ireland’s sport, fitness and exercise body, tasked with inspiring the LGBT+ community to get active.
Research shows that 55% of LGBT men and 56% of LGBT women are not active enough to maintain good health, compared with 33% and 45% respectively of the general public. As a member of the EGLSF and the Federation of Gay Games, Sporting Pride also offers LGBTQ+ sportspeople the opportunity to represent Ireland in international competitions.
Dublin Pride was forced to cancel all physical events due to COVID-19 but the community has really rallied online and there is a diverse and exciting range of digital events planned for the festival, this one being no exception.
Nikki Symmons and Donal Óg Cusack will talk to Anna Nolan about their personal experiences, including:
- The role sport played in growing up;
- Attitudes among teammates and coaches;
- Influence on mental and physical development;
- Effect on sporting performance;
- The coming out process.
Aidan Walsh, the chairperson of Sporting Pride, says “We are delighted to facilitate this webinar where elite Irish athletes will come together for the first time to discuss their personal experiences of being LGBTQ+ in sport. Their stories will give a unique and valuable insight into the challenges facing administrators trying to make sport in Ireland a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all.”
Watch this ground-breaking free webinar next Thursday evening from 8pm on GCN’s Youtube channel, Facebook page or Pride’s Facebook page.
Our Health, Fitness & Wellbeing strand of In and Out Festival for June is being proudly supported by Life Style Sports.
You can find out more about Sporting Pride online here.
© 2020 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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