An openly gay athlete from Great Britain is looking forward to representing the LGBTIQ+ community in Qatar next year, when the conservative Arab country holds the World Championships for athletics.
28-year-old Tom Bosworth, who came out publicly in 2015 and this year lead Team GB at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, told The Independent that there are "many questions" as to why the event is being held in a country that continues to criminalise homosexuality.
“Obviously Qatar wants to make a statement," he said.
"They’ve got the football world cup (in 2022) as well. If it’s about money, there’s other options [that could have been taken].”
Bosworth, who won silver in the 20km race walk at the Commonwealth Games, has even gone so far as to ask his fiancée to skip the event.
“I’ve told my fiancée, ‘don’t even consider coming… I don’t want you or my family to come',” Bosworth said.
He continued: “I will not be afraid to speak out. I’m going there to do a job and compete but I want to do that safely, happily and I want those opportunities for everybody.”
“I’m not saying it’s not going to be great," the athlete said, pointing to the recent football world cup in Russia.
"There’s no doubt sport brings people together and hopefully that will be the same next year.”
According to The Independent, criticising the Gulf state’s Emir carries a five-year jail sentence, while homosexuality itself can carry a one-to-three year term of imprisonment.
