Gay Olympian to be face of Canada

Openly gay Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury will be Canada’s ‘chef de mission’ for the London Olympics this year.

The swimmer will be the go-to man for athletes, the media and fans across the nation, the Calgary Herald reports.

“Obviously, to quit the Olympic movement 12 years ago and say I would never be back — well I learned the hard way that you should never say never,” he told the newspaper.

“We are aiming for top 12. It will be pretty tough. There is just such a difference between the Summer and Winter Games for Canada.”

Tewksbury applied for the chef role — an unpaid position — and said he was elated to be selected.

“The job of chef is interesting. It’s a very public figure. What I hope to do is take some of the pressure off the athletes,” he said.

Tewksbury has been engaged in frequent public speaking roles as a corporate trainer since his swimming achievements, but has put his management workshops on hold to concentrate on the Olympics.

He said his sexuality was not important in his appointment.

“Look, I’m not the gay chef. I’m just the chef. We don’t want anything to distract the team. There’ll be no rainbow shirts,” he said.

Tewksbury did admit, however, that he is disappointed that 14 years since he publicly announced he was gay, he remains the only top flight Canadian athlete.

“I wish there was an easy answer. Sports itself is so conservative. There is an old-boys mentality and it is just that much more insulated,” he said.

“I came out in ’98 and I thought then that in 10 years this would not be an issue, yet it still is. I really try not to be the go-to guy on this anymore because I don’t really have anything more relevant to say. I have said it all.

“It is a very personal issue. I dreaded going public but even coming out to my coach and telling her — and she was the only person I told at that time — was partly why I won the gold because all this incredible energy that had been channelled inside could now be channelled to the outside goal.”