Throughout history, athletes in many different sports have identified as LGBT. Professional sports have helped advance understanding, acceptance, and equality, allowing athletes to be judged based on their skills, talents, and contributions, not their identities. However, professional sports have not always modeled the value of nondiscrimination. The global LGBT professional sports community has struggled with recognition, rights, and acceptance from both the sports fan bases and the various federations, associations, organizations, departments, and franchises supporting and governing these teams. Specific examples of individual courage in the history of openly LGBT people’s participation in professional sports are clear.

Born on October 18, 1956, Martina Navratilova is a world-renowned athlete and an advocate for LGBT athletes across the globe. She learned to play tennis from her stepfather at the age of four. Though she did not become a professional player until 1975, she won the 1972 Czechoslovak National Championship at the age of fifteen.

In 1976, Navratilova made the difficult decision to defect to the United States in an effort to escape communist influence. There she continued to dominate on the court, becoming a household name. Navratilova is widely respected and admired by fans and fellow players alike, with Billie Jean King once calling her “the greatest singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player who ever lived.” Navratilova won 167 single tournaments, 177 doubles events, and accrued an astonishing total of 2,189 match wins over the course of her illustrious tennis career. In 2006, she won the doubles championship at the US Open a month before her 50th birthday, making her the oldest player to win a major title.

Since her retirement, Navratilova has drawn on her success as an openly gay athlete to advocate for LGBT athletes. She does not eschew controversy. In 2019 Navratilova was scrutinized over tweets she wrote regarding transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. With that being said, she has devoted considerable energy to encouraging open dialog in sports on these controversial issues. She continues to inspire players all over the world.

Another talented Czechoslovak athlete of note is Olympic figure skater Ondrej Nepela. Born January 22nd, 1951, Nepela began skating at a young age. He competed in his first Olympics in the 1964 Winter Games at the age of 13.

An eight-time Czechoslovak champion, Nepela first medaled in 1969 at the European Championships. He later won his first world title in 1971. After taking home a win in the 1972 Sapporo Olympics, Nepela became the last Czechoslovak Olympic champion.

After retiring, Nepela continued his career with a solo tour of Holiday on Ice. He then spent many years training young skaters to follow in his path forward. Much of his time both on ice and as a coach he used to advocate for LGBT equality in sports.

In 1989, Nepala helped lead Claudia Leister to a European title. Nepela died later that year as a complication of AIDS. In his honor, the Slovak Figure Skating Association holds a competition every fall which they call the Ondrej Nepela Memorial. In 2000, Nepela was posthumously named Slovak Athlete of the Century.

Written by Kelsey McDade

Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, The, ‘Martina Navratilova’, Britannica, 2019, Martina Navratilova | Biography, Titles, & Facts | Britannica, (Accessed June 16, 2022).

‘Martina Navratilova’, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Martina Navratilova (tennisfame.com), (Accessed June 14, 2022).

‘Biography Ondrej Nepela’, Olympics, Ondrej NEPELA | Olympics.com, (Accessed June 17, 2022).