Please bundle! The 2026 Winter Olympics are just around the corner, and there are many LGBTQ+ Olympic stars we’re rooting for.
The Winter Games will be held in Italy from February 6th to 22nd. Co-hosted by the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, athletes will fly to northern Italy to compete.
LGBTQ+ athletes will arrive in the snowy region hoping to make their country proud and maybe bring home a gold medal.
This year’s Winter Olympics have already featured star athletes showcasing LGBTQ+ talent. fierce rivalry Carrying the Olympic torch. But there’s a lot more to come.
Here are some notable LGBTQ+ athletes:
amber glen – Figure skating. team usa
We predict that American figure skater Amber Glenn will be one of the stars of this year’s Winter Olympics. The 26-year-old publicly came out as bisexual and pansexual in 2019 and is going from strength to strength.
Already this year, Glenn set a new record in the short program at the U.S. Women’s Championship. She then won her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Championship for the first time in 21 years.
Plus, just by stepping on the ice in Italy, she will make history as the first LGBTQ+ woman to compete in figure skating at the Olympics. out sports Reported.
Glenn believes that one of the reasons to excel on the ice is to come out and live as your true self. Looking back on his life as an out athlete, Glenn said: “We’re more accepted and there’s more community in queer spaces. I feel like we’re being accepted with open arms, but that’s not true for all sports.”
Anna Kelvin and Ronja Savolainen – Women’s Hockey
real lesbians fierce rivalry I will be participating in this year’s Olympics. Yes, you heard it correctly!
As depicted in fierce rivalryThere are no active male players in the National Hockey League who are publicly out. But the women’s professional hockey league is a different story. There are approximately 30 participants, many of whom are scheduled to participate in this year’s Olympics.
Two of them are engaged players, Sweden’s Anna Kelvin and Finland’s Ronja Savolainen. Kelvin and Savolainen first met while playing defense in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League.
But now they are playing on a PWHL team. Kelvin plays for the Toronto Septres and Savolainen plays for the Ottawa Charge. The rivalry will be even stronger at the Olympics, as Kelvin will represent Sweden and Savolainen will represent Finland.
This will be Savolainen’s third Olympics, having won bronze medals in both 2018 and 2022. Meanwhile, Kelvin will make his Olympic debut this year.
Brittany Bowe – Speed skater. team usa
American speed skater Brittany Bowe will definitely be one to watch as she is a real contender for a medal.
Bowe, who is competing in her fourth Olympics, has already won two bronze medals in 2018 and 2022. She is the current 1000m world record holder and previously held the 1500m world record.
Bowe’s partner is fellow Olympian and ice hockey star Hilary Knight. talk to people Although she recently won a medal at the Olympics, Bowe said, “My biggest victory was the one I got at the Olympics.” [the] Beijing” Olympics was meeting Knight. It’s adorable!
Gus Kenworthy – freestyle skiing.team gb
Legendary freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who has made a dramatic comeback from retirement, will be in the spotlight at the tournament. 2026 will be his fourth Olympics and he will be on the slopes as part of Team GB.
Kenworthy is the star of one of the most memorable moments of the Winter Olympics. During the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Kenworthy and his then-partner, actor Matthew Wilkas, shared a kiss that was broadcast on air. This has become known as a seminal moment for LGBTQ+ visibility in professional sports.
Kenworthy represented the United States in the first two tournaments, but represented Great Britain in the third tournament. He won a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The following year, he came out as gay. In 2022, Kenworthy retired after a bad crash and withdrew from the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Hilary Knight – Women’s Hockey. team usa
Ice hockey player Hilary Knight leads Team USA onto the ice. The 36-year-old is effectively the face of women’s hockey in the United States. She is no stranger to pressure and is aiming for her fifth Olympic medal in her fifth appearance.
She has won one gold medal and three silver medals in the past four Olympics. Knight also captained Team USA at the 2025 World Championships, where they won the gold medal, so the team looks strong heading into the Olympics.
The team is seeded in Group A alongside Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
Knight is a member of the queer community and was initially hesitant to come out publicly. However, she met speed skater Bow at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and they started dating. Knight credits her relationship with Bowe with helping her find the courage to come out and talk about the power couple.
Kim Mailmans – Skeleton Racer. team belgium
After winning the World Cup earlier this month, Kim Mailmans is on track for Olympic success. Mailmans is a skeleton racer. It is a high-speed winter sport in which athletes ride face down and head first on small sleds, moving across icy surfaces at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour.
The 29-year-old skeleton racer will be returning to the Olympics for the third time, having competed in 2018 and 2022. She is currently enjoying an impressive career and has won gold medals at both the 2024 and 2026 European Championships.
Meiremans is married to fellow racer Nicole Silveira. The two faced each other at the 2019 World Cup and had a fierce exchange. Instagram post 2021: A photo of them kissing under the mistletoe.
“But this team here is truly special and a huge part of this success. I could not have achieved this goal without them, especially my wife,” Meilmans wrote. Instagram post After the World Cup victory.
“I don’t think anyone really understands how much I needed her along with me (pushing me and supporting me) to accomplish this.”
lewis gibson – Figure skating. team gb
Scottish figure skater Lewis Gibson is the 2025 world bronze medalist. Will he win gold in 2026?
Along with her ice dancing partner Laila Fear, Gibson has won four European medals, eight ISU Challenger Series gold medals and eight times British National Champion.
his recent case Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” Performance Soundtrack Gibson brings an interesting flourish to an impressive sports showcase.
The 31-year-old spoke about his sexuality for the first time in 2022. However, he said he felt it was too early to come out publicly. valentine’s day pictures With her current husband, Joshua Walsh.
Mr. Gibson recently added his voice to a growing movement supporting allowing international competition for same-sex partnerships. From next season, British Ice Skating will allow same-sex teams to compete in domestic competitions.
Nicole Silveira – Skeleton racer. team brazil
Nicole Silveira, who represents Team Brazil on the icy slopes, is a skeleton racer who competes with her wife Meilmans in the high-speed sport.
Silveira’s career has also been impressive. She finished 13th in 2022, Brazil’s best result in the sliding event at the Winter Olympics. He then went on to win bronze medals in two of the 2024-25 World Cup stages.
Silveira also spoke openly about his experiences as a queer athlete. “From the beginning, I wasn’t 100 percent sure that that was who I was and what I wanted, so I think it took me a while to finally be OK with it,” Silveira said. today In 2022.
“For a while there, I hid a lot of myself and basically hid Kim from a lot of people and the closest people I know. It’s a very special thing to be able to share.” [the] Enjoy the Olympics with your partner.
“It’s a very stressful, high-pressure time, so having my own human being there as a comfortable and safe space is extremely valuable to me and to my performance. It brings a sense of calm and normalcy to my daily life.” [craziest] A few weeks into our careers. ”
Other LGBTQ+ Olympians headed to the Winter Olympics.
Sanni Ahola – Women’s Hockey. Team Finland.
Erin Ambrose – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Filippo Ambrosini – figure skating. team italy.
Chloe Oral Boushie – Women’s Hockey. Team France.
Kayla Burns – Women’s Hockey. Team USA.
Lore Beaudry – Women’s Hockey. Team France.
Brittany Bowe – Speed skating. Team USA.
Emily Clark – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Alex Carpenter – Women’s Hockey. Team USA.
Guillaume Cizeron – figure skating. Team France.
Makayla Gerken Schofield – Freestyle Skiing. Team GB.
Lewis Gibson – Ice dancing. Team GB.
Brianne Jenner – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Nina Jobst-Smith – Women’s Hockey. team germany.
Breezy Johnson – Alpine Skiing. Team USA.
Kristina Kartonkova – Women’s Hockey. Czech Republic team.
Michelle Karvinen – female hockey player. Team Finland.
Annie Keisara – Women’s Hockey. Team Finland.
Aida Kuoppala – Women’s Hockey. Team Finland.
Aneta Ledlova – Women’s Hockey. Czech Republic team.
Emerance Maschmeyer – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Conor McDermott-Mostowy – Speed skating. Team USA.
Kim Mailmans – Skeleton. Belgian team.
Bruce Moore – Curling. Team GB.
Sandra Neslund – Freestyle skiing. Team Sweden.
Marie-Philippe Poulain – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Paul Poirier – figure skating. Team Canada.
Shiloh Rousseau – Biathlon. Team Canada.
Martina Sablikova – speed skating. Czech Republic team.
Maddy Shafrik – Snowboarding. Team USA.
Nicole Silveira – Skeleton. team brazil.
Laura Stacy – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Vivi Vainikka – Women’s Hockey. Team Finland.
Laura Wolf – Freestyle Skiing. Team Australia.
Micah Zandi Hart – Women’s Hockey. Team Canada.
Laura Zimmerman – Women’s Hockey. Team Switzerland.
Source: PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news – www.thepinknews.com
