Competing with Pride: Building a more inclusive future for sport

Often described as a universal language, sport has the ability to bring people together across borders, cultures and identities. But that ideal has not always been reflected consistently in reality. For many LGBTQ+ athletes, barriers remain, whether through limited visibility, concerns around coming out, or environments that can still feel unwelcoming.

It is a dynamic Spanish Olympian Javier Raya understands well, and one that has come to define his work beyond competition. A former elite figure skater who competed at the highest international level, Raya publicly came out during his career, becoming one of the first openly gay athletes in Spanish sport. That experience proved formative, shaping not only his own journey but also his perspective on the role sport can play in driving wider change.

"Visibility is not the end goal. The goal is creating a sporting world where everyone feels they belong. But visibility is often the first step towards that."

Raya is now the founder of Compete Proud, a non-profit platform Eurosport has partnered with, focused on advancing LGBTIQ+ inclusion across sport. Born from his lived experience and developed with the support of the IOC Young Leaders Programme, the initiative has grown from a simple idea into a global community of athletes, organisations, partners and allies working to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in sport. Its ambition is to help create environments in which athletes feel able to compete openly and authentically, regardless of level.

Central to that approach is the idea that visibility matters. Through athlete storytelling, educational initiatives and partnerships with major sporting events, Compete Proud works to bring under-represented voices into the conversation.

"Being yourself and pursuing excellence in sport are not mutually exclusive."

That work has increasingly played out on some of sport’s biggest stages. Compete Proud has been involved in initiatives such as Pride House, a dedicated space at major international events where athletes, fans and organisations can come together to engage with issues of inclusion and representation. From Pride House Paris 2024 and EuroGames Lyon 2025 to Pride House Milan 2026, these platforms are gradually embedding LGBTIQ+ visibility within the broader sporting landscape, while the Proud Champions network brings together athletes including Nikki Symmons, Lewis Gibson, Dimitri Pavadé, Gema Hassen-Bey, Valentina Petrillo and Jérémy Clamy-Edroux to help create a stronger sense of belonging in sport.

Alongside this, the organisation is focused on longer-term change. Through workshops, resources and collaborations with federations, institutions, sponsors and partners, it aims to support more inclusive environments at every level of sport. Progress has been made, but challenges remain.

For some athletes, identity can still feel like something to manage rather than express freely, particularly in high-performance settings, where visibility remains uneven. Addressing that requires more than symbolic gestures.

It points to the need for role models, for spaces where athletes feel supported, and for a collective effort across sport; from athletes, clubs and governing bodies to event organisers, broadcasters and fans. As Raya puts it, the next step is to keep moving from conversation to action.

Raya’s journey reflects that broader shift. From competing on the ice to advocating beyond it, he is part of a generation of athletes using their platform to influence how sport evolves.

"Not everyone has the same story, but everyone deserves to know there is a place for them in sport."

As Pride Day brings renewed focus to issues of visibility and inclusion, initiatives like Compete Proud underline what sport can offer when it lives up to its principles.

The direction of travel is clear, even if progress is uneven. And as more athletes, organisations and platforms engage with the conversation, the hope is that inclusion becomes less of an initiative, and more simply part of the fabric of sport itself.